


Temulentia

by RosalinesRussianRoseElixir



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (Mostly with steve), :), ? - Freeform, Cunnilingus, Dry Humping, F/M, I Love You, I'm Sorry, Idk im freaking out. If youve already read this for the most part, Not What It Looks Like, Platonic Relationships, Smut, Stalking, Thanks, a brief bout of sexual assault kinda, barely, please send me tags to put on here because I kinda forgot, weird awkward moments between you and steve, what I wrote about and what I should tag., why am I like this ?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2018-09-20 01:04:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 84,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9468572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosalinesRussianRoseElixir/pseuds/RosalinesRussianRoseElixir
Summary: Of all of the pains she had felt, the way her stomach felt when he looked at her with that smile of his was the most welcome. And he could only say that he felt the same.In which you have been captured by the KGB, wiped, and experimented on, because of your parents and now they want to use you to control the winter soldier.Only Dr. Paskiewicz is an original character ATM.You and other characters do not belong to me. Also When I take tests, I don't double check my answers because I suck, and I apply that here. So if there are spelling or grammar mistakes, I know, just pretend they don't exist... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Love you !





	1. Temulentia 1.

**Author's Note:**

> быть хорошим. - be nice
> 
> you should also be nice, because this is my first time here doing all of this.

If one looks into the past, they might remember things, whether it be from long term memory or short term memory, like parents or friends or what you ate for breakfast. ___ sat on the cold tile of the almost barren room. There was one large bed, pushed to the wall, bare of sheets and blankets. The room was equally as cold as the tile, harshly chilling her small body, a white scratchy material hung from her body only keeping her covered. The girl desperately huddled her limbs close to her body to conserve what little warmth she could. Earlier, she was shoved out of the chair with all of the contraptions and the men dressed in black picked her up and dragged her lethargic body into the room she sat in now. They set her down on the floor careful not to damage her further as the doctor ordered them to, afraid too many bruises would deter the soldier from wanting her. She laid there, too tired to move, to tired to think. As it was, her mind felt empty and blank, like a newly bought journal, waiting to be written in. ____ eyelids felt heavy and a sweet smell enveloped her into a haze. Her eyes fluttered closed, sinking her into unconsciousness. 

___ woke up to the sound of heavy shoes just outside of the metal door, she scooted away from it, scrambling to put distance between them. The thick metal door made a loud grating sound as it opened, two men pushing against it and two others barely crossed the threshold, detaining a man with brown chin length hair. “быть хорошим.” one of the men said before pushing him into the room. 

He stumbled onto the floor, his hands catching his fall, one of them clinked like metal on the tiles and with a closer look, she discovered his arm was made of metal, glinting even in the dim light. His head snapped to look at her as she realized she audibly gasped at the sight of his artificial arm. A confused look appeared on his face. What was she doing here ? There was no way they used such a small and weak looking girl for the same purposes they used him for. She braced herself against the wall, preparing herself for anything. He sat on the floor and looked at her quietly, expecting her to say something or do something. She stared into his eyes like a deer caught in the head lights. 

“Wh- who a-a-re y-you ?” She asked shakily, but he didn't answer. Just as shakily, she stood at full height and he did the same. The man towered in her path to the mattress. _____ carefully walked around him after deeming him kind of safe. In a flash, his warm hand wrapped around her arm and she realized she might have made the wrong decision. She was brought to a standstill, abruptly stopping her progress, nudging her back in front of him. His eyebrows were furrowed and he leaned in closer to her face, searching for malice and controlled reactions, but found none. ___ showed no signs of training and seemed frail for an assassin. A sweet scent wafted into the air and his senses were suddenly attacked by the smell. She smelled so pleasant , like dessert and honey and everything sweet on the face of the earth and he shoved his face into her, the area between her breasts and her neck. 

Desperately, he searched for more of the heavenly smell that seemed to be emanating from her body. He scolded himself for not demonstrating control in his actions, for all he knew, they wanted this to happen. But he couldn't help himself, the smell so additive, dragging him in. She stepped back a little, surprised at his outburst and in order to stop her from entirely pulling away, his arms both metal and flesh, pulled her into his chest. His clothes chafed into hers, his nose burying into her skin. A thin white shirt covered his upper half, and black canvas material made up the pants he wore. They were baggy due to the boots they were semi-tucked into. The black pants touched her legs and she stepped back again at the feeling. 

“Ssssmells so good…” He hissed into her skin. She tried to push him away with what little strength she contained but it was no use. To stop her struggling, he lifted her onto the mattress, pinning her to the bouncy surface with his longer and stronger body. Inside of himself, he tried to stop but the resistance was not rising to the surface. He was so used to feeling nothing but pain but the scent and the soft skin of the girl was dredging up so many unwanted and unideal feelings. He threw his head back and groaned, putting her electric touch to his chest. The feeling shocked him in such a strangely erotic way, something tightening in his lower belly and his groin. Her touch was like a drug, and he was under her spell, though she didn't seem willing to do such things. She squirmed and tried slipping away from him like a snake trapped under a rock. He was disappointed that she did not want to willingly touch him. He pinned her wrists down harder than before and leaned down. 

“Touch me, girl.” She looked appalled, and shook her head no, still struggling. Her yelps and whimpers became louder as he growled low in his throat, lifting her hand to his chest again, relishing in the feeling, wherever her skin met his, sparks flew. His skin was damp with sweat, and her hands seemed to be gathering it. She grimaced at the feeling, and tried to push herself away from him. His vision became hazy and he felt almost drunk, a foreign feeling ever since the serum. The hydra agents, as a joke, once tried to get him drunk, to see if the winter soldier would stumble around like an old drunk, but they soon discovered that wasn't a possibility. He started to tremble suddenly and a strange feeling took over, his hips bucking forward into her clothed stomach, and then something wet was staining his pants. His vision faded away and he collapsed beside her, his grip on her finally slack, as she wrenched her arms and legs away from him. She realized his body was completely still and he was out cold. Her hands reached and pushed him harshly off of the mattress. ___ curled up into a ball against the headboard and held herself. What just happened ?

CHECKPOINT 1. Temulentia: SUCCESS


	2. Temulentia 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's kinda lacking, but let me know if I'm doing things right or wrong.

When he woke she was asleep on the mattress and he was on the floor, back flush with the cold tiles. He looked down, greeted by a stain at the front of his pants. He payed no attention to it as he pushed himself up and looked at her, her body, in fetal position on the bed, quietly breathing in and out. She looked so small, so pure. She wasn't as bruised as him when he first was housed in the hydra base. She was untouched, soft. Unlike the calluses and scars littering his body. He hesitantly ran a finger down her arm. Goose bumps erupted and pleasure blossomed under his skin. He didn't understand how had she been able to intoxicate him like that. Her skin, her smell, she was like some sort of drug. She woke to the feeling of his skin, immediately flinching away. She pushed herself on her arms and sat away from him, intimidated by the way he stood over her. His eyebrows furrowed, but he sat on the other side of the mattress despite her discomfort. 

“I-I'm sorry I pushed you off, but I was-s scared you would do that… thing.. again.” She became pink in the face, her fingers tugging the cloth that hung from her body downward to cover her a little more. He looked at her for a moment, before turning away, both feet on the ground, staring blankly at the tiles on the wall. Just then, two trays were pushed under the door with goop on them. She slid off the bed and timidly walked toward them. One had a pink little candy on it, and selfishly, she took that one. First, she ate the candy, the peachy taste sliding down her throat. Poking at the goop, she then slowly tasted it. She put some more in her mouth, but decided she didn't want anymore. She picked up the other one to give to the man. Maybe he hadn't heard the trays. She held it in front of him, and his eyes raked up her body slowly, until he made eye contact with her. ____ showed a little smile, holding out the tray to him. He took it and stared at it for a little and then he set it on the floor. The smile slid off of her face and was replaced with a frown. 

“Aren't you going to eat ?” She said. He shook his head. He continued to stare through her. ____ sighed and fell onto the mattress behind him. 

Like this, they spent weeks sitting in the room. She would talk about nonsense and skip around the room like a child. She observed his silent behavior. He would watch her like a hawk quietly observing her in the same way. He was a man of few words. If he talked to her, it was usually with one word. He tried to keep space between them, but sometimes he failed. He had to work very hard to stop himself from wanting to rut into her like a wild animal. But times like these, it wasn't enough. 

She was asleep on the mattress, her scent strengthening with every second. She seemed to be shivering due to the cold dank environment if the room. He could only imagine what her touch felt like. Cold, but electric. She woke to the sound of his low growl. She knew what was happening and she rubbed at her eyes. But she wanted to try something. She opened her arms and he fell inevitably into them, breathing in deeply at the smell. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Afraid that if he let go, the feeling would go away. She pulled the cloth up a little exposing her thighs, knowingly gazing into his cloudy blue eyes. He looked into her eyes, confused. Did she want him to touch her ? She placed his hands on the newly found flesh and the shock was almost too much. Although his touch didn't have the same effect, she liked the feeling of being touched by someone besides herself. She couldn't remember anyone touching her the way he did. Tremors shook through his body but he accepted the challenge of holding out as long as he could. He started to creep higher and higher until her underwear came into view. He didn't wear these types of things. But he had soon found out that hydra was more delicate with her, keeping her clean for him. She put her hands on his and pushed them back down. He understood and put his attention on her hands. She picked up his metal hand the arm following, and studied it in curiosity. The pieces moved in small motions, silently adjusting with every movement. But if you listen closely, you can hear them moving and whirring. 

“Can you feel anything here ?” He shook his head no. She nodded and put his hand back on her thigh. His body was so warm, especially when it came into contact with her. So she relished in the warmth he provided. Her scent covered him and he fell into unconsciousness. She laid her head on his chest, his erratic heartbeat slowing down.

That was the day that he discovered she chased his nightmares away. The ones about some sort of war, a man with blond hair, the man called Bucky, falling into the snow. Or the stranger, darker ones about eliminating targets with different weapons, their pleas so weepy and real. He understood the need to eliminate threats. That's what he was trained for, after all. Instead he dreamt of her. Strange things that he didn't understand. But still, he preferred the former. When he opened his eyes, he was curled around the girl and she was encased in his warmth. He made a wonderful blanket and pillow. She cuddled in close to him. Under different circumstances, he would have pushed her away. But he felt a sort of fondness as she made him feel almost human again. He knew that she shouldn't be too close and he shouldn't be too close to her emotionally, or in any way really. But he would keep this. Hydra didn't let him keep too much anyway.


	3. Temulentia 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some smut, you can leave if you'd like. Come back for chapter four though.

It had been about what felt like two days. She would talk and he would listen. She asked questions and instead of him answering she would answer with ramblings and voiced thoughts of vivid imagery. Today, she talked about the outside world. This was all that she knew, but she also knew that the soldiers outside didn't stay all night. So she pondered where they went. Did they talk to each other ? What would they talk about ? Reluctantly, he decided to entertain her thoughts. His voice was raspy from not using it in a while. It rumbled low from his chest before it left his mouth and so pleasantly into her ears. From then on, he'd talk to her about all of the things he'd seen, on the outside. Snow and rain, sun and clouds. Food and people. And she would sit close, almost sunbathing in his warmth. No one could put measurements on the pressure on his heart when she looked up at him in awe. None really dared to look into his eyes. The blue in his eyes was so breathtaking, she had never seen such a color. His vibrating voice and steady heart beat put her to sleep rather quickly and her smell eventually did the same. Instinctually, his nose would nuzzle into her neck, drowning in her essence. She would drown just as much in his arms, in his words, in his very presence. But there were times he didn't feel secure around her. He never talked about his purpose or what he was doing on the outside. He was worried that she would become afraid of him. He couldn’t stand the thought of her looking at him in fear. The one time he accidentally mentioned it, luckily she had drifted into sleep. 

They usually woke with tangled limbs and skin touching in most places. The bed was warm with their collected body heat, her hands splayed on his back under his shirt and his hands gripping her close, pulling her into the intimate space where his heart beat the loudest. They grew strong foundations of trust, or at least the strongest they could be with someone as wary as him. He trusted her enough to sleep in her presence and that was something. 

It was late in the night, the darkness enveloping them in their usual closeness. Her head nestled into his chest and his nose was buried in her hair that smelled faintly of her sweetness. He inhaled deeply, which was where he made his first mistake. Her body responded by producing more of the fragrance. It lifted off of her skin and into the air, intoxicating him in a way that he knew made him weak. Weakness was frowned upon, but he simply could not resist. The metal of his arm shined in the faint moonlight of the overall dim room, both of his arms drifting down her body slowly, sensually, his larger hands covering her skin in the least modest way. 

She awoke with a murmur. Gentle delicate eyelashes fluttered open revealing the color inside. Blinking a few times to rid of the weariness, she felt the cool metal of his immensely strong hand creeping around her hips. The flesh of his other hand was foiled, making it seem warmer than normal, the pads of his calloused fingers roughly dragging across the silky feeling of her skin. She mewled at the feeling, her hands winding around the back of his neck. He pushed the cloth of her garment up her body, leaving it bunched up by her breasts but not exposing them to the coldness of the room. His nose followed a path down her stomach and closer to her pelvis, coming closer to one of the most least touched parts of her. A gasp escaped her lips and he groaned, the sound spilling from him involuntarily. His fingers tugged at her underwear and then pulled them down her thighs, then her shins, and then her ankles. He dropped them off the side of the bed without looking, staring at her in her beauty. Shyly, her thighs came together to hide herself, but his hands caught them and lowered them back onto the bed. He inhaled again, the scent pouring out of her now in droves, tons of it surrounding him in a thick blanket of arousal and heat. His metal fingers inched forward and finally made contact with the opening, the chill of it shaking her to the core. She yelped and he drew back, afraid that he hurt her. 

“No ! Do - do it again…” She panted out and his finger came to her again, his other arm despite its strength, shakily holding him up, the aroma seeping into him. His knees dug deeper into the mattress. The metallic surface of his hand slowly drove into her opening, the wetness covering it, the fluid slicking his finger until it easily slid inside. She moaned and he took this as a sign of approval, sliding deeper within. His finger pulled out and the clear liquid ran down until it touched the place where his finger met the rest of his hand. The fragrance mimicked the one she produced and curiously, he put it in his mouth. 

Suddenly, the floodgates inside of him opened and he moaned, the feeling so new, so raw, so uncontrollably pleasurable that he thought he might just stain his pants again. As if he were dying of thirst, he dove to the apex of her legs, licking at the source. He drank from her like a dying man at the fountain of youth, his lewd movements causing her to undulate her hips into his mouth wanting his tongue to go in deeper. To quell her erratic movements, his hands stilled her hips, holding her down to the mattress. 

“Go deeper ! Hah- ahh like that ahhh !” she moaned, and he obliged his tongue going inside as deep as he could reach. She yelped as his hands gripped her tighter, her hands coming to tug at his brown messy locks. Tugging a little to roughly, he groaned at the feeling, the sting piling on top of the pleasure, mixing in. He felt drunk again. But the feeling was so much more intense, her slick burning all the way down his throat, the perfume of it overwhelming him. He almost couldn't hold it in anymore. She whined as he pushed her to the edge, his tongue swirling along her slick walls, adding to the wetness. Release came crashing down onto her as she choked on a moan. She clutched his hair harder than ever. Her delicate fingers scratching slightly at his scalp. He rose from his position, his lips wet with her release and he licked it away. He wiped his mouth with the back of his flesh hand. 

Weakly, he straddled her hips, their chests rising and falling with their pants. He collapses, his hands coming to rest beside her head, his knees falling against the mattress beside her legs. The pale moonlight washed over them, coating them in illuminescence, just enough for both of them to see each other. Their eyes met and he saw how her pupils were blown, the sweat against her forehead making small hairs stick to her forehead. His hair did the same and his eyes were close to closing from sheer exhaustion. But he was determined to go for as long as he could. He straddled her thigh, his clothed hardness bucking into her. She watched him carefully. He moaned and his bucking became faster and more harsher, the cloth of his black pants chafing against her thigh. His hands kept him suspended above her, his hips rubbing against her roughly over and over. She watched on in interest as he pleasured himself on her thigh. Her hands shakily reached out to touch him and he grabbed her hand before it could. 

For a moment she was afraid that he was angry at her, but instead he put her hand above the waistline of his pants, touching his sweaty abdomen, the tightness in his belly snapped at her touch. His hips jerkily came to a stop and he growled, the wetness coming to stain his pants again. He panted and collapsed beside her, his vision blacking out immediately after. She curled into his side, the heat between them incredibly hot, putting her to sleep beside him as well.

CHECKPOINT 2. Temulentia: SUCCESS


	4. Temulentia 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> малютка- little one or baby whichever you like best. 
> 
> ты нужен солдат- you are needed soldier 
> 
> быть готовым на четыре часа.- be ready by four hundred hours
> 
> I've included pronunciation so you don't have to guess how the cryillic alphabet sounds
> 
> love ya 
> 
> ____ this is supposed to be your name, btw, I just don't like y/n

___ reawakened feeling sluggish from the activities of the night before, but the man with blue eyes had been up at least two hours before her, as he was on the floor, distanced from the mattress. A ghost of a smile crossed his face when he glanced up to see her just waking up. With graceful and outstretched arms, she reached to the ceiling in an attempt to relieve some of the sleep from her muscles. She yawned and laid on her belly watching him pick himself up on his fists over and over again, his arm of flesh stressing to push his weight and his metallic arm pushing consistently, the powerful mechanics having no problem lifting his body from the floor. But he didn't seem tired. He was sweating, but the look of focus in his eyes showed no fatigue. 

She giggled and came to sit in front of him. Her look of awe fell on him and he felt a little encouraged to show her just how strong he was. Her elbows balanced on her knees as she watched sweat drip from the strands of his hair and down his forehead, the details of his face hard in precision. The strength he contained was on full display, his biceps bending out as well as his elbows and forearms, the muscles there straining and bulging. He came into a plank position and looked up at her for once. His magnificently blue eyes flicked suggestively to his back and she gasped excitedly. ____ stood up and sat carefully on his back but he did not protest. She drew her legs up and crossed them, a fluttering feeling inside of her, feeling the muscles in his back move under her legs. One arm at a time, he came back up into his original position and she slid a little making her yelp and giggle. He grunted and started the exercises again lifting their combined weight with the sheer power of his upper body. ___ bounced somewhat everytime his elbows straightened and she laughed, the feeling new and amusing. The dampness on his back wet the bottom of her thighs a little as she played with his hair, the sweat dampening her fingers as well, but she didn't mind. He did one after another, satisfied with the feeling of impressing her, the sound of her laughter spurring him on. 

Afterwards, he laid tiredly on the cold floor, enjoying the chill it sent up his spine. She brought him some water from the trays they brought early in the day and sat watching it go down his throat, his adam's apple bobbing. She furrowed her eyebrows and cupped his face in her hands tilting his head back. What was that ball in his throat ? He stared confusedly at her, one of his eyebrows quirked in a questioning fashion. 

“What are you doing, малютка (malutka)?” He noticed that she liked when he spoke russian, the language they taught him, among others. So he spoke it when he could in hopes of pleasing her. 

“What is that ?” She said, eyeing the bump poking out of his throat and he chuckled, the rumbling sound drawing her eyes to his. 

“Do you know ?” she questioned again and he simply shrugged. But the smug smirk on his face told her different. __ huffed and turned away from him, rising from his lap, ignoring him in a childlike manner. He ran his fingers slowly down her arm, coming to lean down, nose in the crook of her neck, lips barely brushing the shell of her ear. 

“Don’t be mad at me now, I didn’t mean to... “ She stood abruptly, looking pointedly down at him still on the floor and quickly turning away. He stood as well, his body towering over her, but she didn't care. 

“You didn't mean to what ?!” She questioned, her anger showing itself in her voice. Before he could answer, he was shot down with another question. 

“Do you think I’m stupid ?!” He understood the source of her insecurities. He thought back to her love of his stories and knew that showing her one would cheer her up. 

“On the outside of this place, I see people that like to do this thing. Would you like it if I showed you ?” He knew he had piqued her interest, but she still refused to look at him. 

“You think I’m stupid and know you just want to be nice to me so I will forget…” She whispered. Then her voice rose again.

“Well, do you think that ?!” 

“I don’t, I promise, малютка.” He said in a low tone, the natural rasp of his voice calming her as well as his promise. 

“Fine, show me.” ___ said, a small smile of excitement lighting up her face. He sat on the mattress, and she sat as well, but closer to the wall.

“First,” His voice lowered and a he pushed back further onto the surface of the mattress. “They lick their lips like this.” She watched as his tongue swept out onto his lips and moistened them, her heart skipping a beat and her stomach tightening at the thought of his mouth elsewhere. She shook the thoughts away and licked her lips similarly, unknowing of the effect it had on him. “And then, they come closer,” Now, his voice was grating, vibrating his chest with how quietly he was speaking. His knees brought him into her personal space and she crept back, not knowing what to expect. His arms and knees caged her into his own personal space, leaving her no opening to escape. “And touch their lips together, in what they call a kiss.” He said, drawing closer and closer until their lips were touching. With the small interaction, the pleasure washed over him in soft waves, much heavier than usual. She was relaxed, so her effects were more prominent. From what he had witnessed of the act of kissing, there was much more contact. He imitated the movements that he saw, tilting his head. Her lips were warm and soft, slightly wet from her saliva. The new space opened provided a rush of her saliva to enter his mouth and suddenly he was sent into euphoria. 

Before he knew what he was doing, he had her face in his hands and was kissing her with great fervor. The forceful contact made her gasp and this only swelled his pride. He was the only one who could make her feel this way and he was determined to keep it that way. They parted desperately for air, though he figured he would die happily if he suffocated under the feeling of her near him, touching him, kissing him. He was officially inebriated, addicted, enamored, and absolutely chained to her. And he couldn't escape.

 

The moon had fallen into the night sky, taking the place of the sun. He lay awake while she slept staring at her features, the curl of her eyelashes, the redness in her cheeks and the roundness of them, her tangled hair all about her. He couldn't get enough of her, her smell, her feel, her touch. He was certain that he would never tire of her. His enhanced senses picked up on the sound of boots coming down the hallway, stopping at the big heavy metal door. At least four of them were outside and he rose from the bed protectively placing his body between her and the door. She woke in the process and looked at his rigid stance, worried about something she herself could not see. Just then, the big heavy metal door grinded open and one of the four soldiers came forward. 

“ты нужен солдат. (ty nuzhen soldat)” The guard dropped a bag on the floor the contents inside weighing enough to cause a loud sound when it dropped. 

“быть готовым на четыре часа. (byt' gotovym na chetyre chasa.).” The guard closed the door. He relaxed a little before sitting at the edge of the bed in defeat. Hesitantly, she sat next to him. 

“Are you leaving ?” He nodded. A worried look crossed her face. She didn't want to be alone in this cold room but especially without him. Now that she had experienced life with him, how would it feel without ? 

“F-forever ?” He shook his head in the negative, a soft feeling coming to wrap around his heart. She cared, and something in him knew she always would.

“Good.” She said. To that, he smiled and touched his lips to hers in their newly found skill of kissing. He was certain that she would be the only one for him and he the only one for her.


	5. Temulentia 5.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 5
> 
> Criticism is welcome ! 
> 
> Thanks for reading !

___ lay on the bed, kicking her legs, watching him as he but the tactical gloves onto his hands. The bag was open on the mattress, the contents removed and being placed on his body, Her eyes followed his hands as he attached various pieces of equipment. All that was left was his mask and the eye makeup to conceal his face, but usually that depended on his mission. After he was done, she moved back as he sat on the bed. She moved forward again, and sat beside him. Idly, she traced the red star on his arm with the tip of her pointer finger, it the first time she had seen the thing. 

“Tell me what you’re leaving for.” She demanded and without thinking he answered. There was no time to even think of a slightly more domestic answer before the words filled the empty space. 

“For a mission.” He answered and he internally cringed. She hummed and his relief filled him. Secretly, she did not want him to think she was clueless of what a mission was or what it entailed. She played with his metal fingers unknowing of the blood it had caused to flow. 

“Do you know when you're coming back ?” He shook his head. 

“Are you going to the outside ?” To this he nodded and a smile graced her face. 

“Promise to tell me about everything you see ?” His expression softened at her smile, somehow brighter than before. He mumbled in agreement and held her close, breathing in, as if storing the memories of her presence for a later time. She came closer as well, cuddling into the security of his arms, both metal and flesh, capturing her in the only embrace she knew.

 

It had been one whole night without him and she could not bear it. She held herself close in a reminiscence of him, her eyes nearly drilling holes into one of the many bolts that held the door to the wall, as if she stared at it long enough it would begin to detach. The kiss they shared before the men came to get him was hardly enough to satiate either of them and their need for each other. His eyes bore into hers until he was all the way out the door and she did the same as the door was pushed shut. She knew nothing and would most likely never know anything about him and she would still trust him with her heart, her life, her kisses, her touch. Part of it was because she had no one else to give it to, but also because she was infatuated with him and she was very sure she would never feel like this with or for anyone else. ___ sighed and went to sleep, probably to dream of him anyway. 

 

Meanwhile, the soldier lay on the floor in front of a sniper rifle, his thoughts sometimes focused on his girl or locating his target. She wasn't a belonging, by any means, but he couldn't help wanting to keep the girl to himself. He didn't get to think for himself too often, but he loved to think that he was the only one who would ever touch her, love on her, slide their hands lower and lower down her body, to kiss her, to embrace her in the deep dark night. An unbelievable rage flowed through his veins when he thought of anyone else putting their hands, their mouth, their body, on her the way he has. He would give her everything he had to give, even if he had nothing, he had himself to give. 

But he was forced to lose his train of thought as his target came into view. The barrel of his rifle followed the movements of his target as he squinted into the scope. He inhaled deeply and held the oxygen inside of his lungs in order to stiffen his body just long enough to fire a bullet into the head of the man walking below. The people standing nearest to the man screamed in panic, like ants, scattering about. The soldier stood from his position, prideful in his success. Quickly, he dismantled the rifle and hid it out of sight in a case, leaving no lingering moments so he could go to see his girl. She was waiting for him and he would be damned if he left her alone in the cold.

 

___ spent the whole day playing with the fraying strings at the end of the garment she wore. When she became bored of that she would alternate to stare at the bolt again, and if she bored of that she played with the strings. Hours passed and melted away and she lay down on the mattress, hoping to sleep. Slowly, she drifted into a peaceful state, her eyes finally beginning to close. The sound of boots echoed down the hall and into the room and she shot up like a spring, She sat against the wall on the bed, awaiting him expectantly. The metal doors swung open and as per usual the soldiers pushed the man with blue eyes inside of the room He stumbled but only slightly and then he stood up straight. The door came to a close. At the sight of him, her scent strengthened in her joy, attracting him like a moth to the flame. He inhaled the fragrance and came to embrace her. She stood as well content to be in his arms. 

That night, they sat on the bed together basking in each others warmth. ___ sat on his lap, while he pulled her closer, resting his back on the wall that the mattress was against. He described most all of the things he saw. He thought of everything he could think of, putting as much detail in his words as he could, actively avoiding what he was there to do. The later it became, the less often she asked him questions and the more often she yawned or blinked a few times in a poor attempt to stay awake. 

“You can sleep if you'd like.” He whispered, and she sighed. 

“I would, but I want to listen to you tell me about the outside.” she turned to face him, her arms wound around his shoulders. He didn't reply, breathing in her scent. They fell asleep, comforting each other into a delirious state between sleep and consciousness. She whispered to him about her time without him and how the boredom nearly killed her, and he whispered to her about all of the little things he forgot to mention. A calmness washed over him, his senses becoming subtly overpowered by her aroma. Her fingers traced over the scars on his back from the few formidable enemies he had faced and she soothed him slowly into slumber.


	6. Temulentia 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 6 ! 
> 
> This is all made up, I don't know if this is actually how any of hydra works, I'm just kind of guessing.

When she woke from her slumber, he was no longer there and not even his warmth lingered. Instead a man in a white long coat sat in a chair facing the mattress where she slept. 

“Good morning, Temulentia. I am Dr. Paskiewicz. I see that you have done well getting the soldier to care for you. He was very… Reluctant to leave you.” She sat up and carefully and rubbed at her eyes, looking him over. He was an older man, balding, and he sounded funny. “Here in this facility, we, well mostly I, will be teaching you a few things in order to make you more, ermm well, useful to this organization.” He coughed slightly before wobbling slightly in his chair. 

“You !” He pointed at the soldier who stood at the door. “Give me your mask !” Curiously, she watched as the man dressed in black handed the man in the coat a mask that he placed on his face. He cleared his throat and breathed in heavily a few times. 

“I apologize, You are a little more potent than I imagined you would be.” He coughed again and she only blinked, not knowing what he was talking about. “Anyway, as I was saying, I am going to teach you some useful things that I am sure you will enjoy !” The man said, sounding more excited than she. “Come now, child.” The chair he sat on scraped back as he stood at full, albeit short, height. Slowly, she stood on her legs and followed. 

“But first, put these on. The floor in this level can be very cold.” He threw her some pieces of cloth and she assumed that they were for her feet, she put then on and he looked at her socked feet. 

“Close enough.” he said leaving through the metal door. She peered out and she was greeted by a long boringly white hallway and four soldiers dressed like all of the guards she had ever seen here. As she fell in step with the man in the coat, two moved forward to walk in front. They approached another doorway and the two soldiers in front opened it and stood stiffly, holding the doors for her and the man with the mask. The room was blue gray from all of the concrete it was made of, but that was the room beyond the glass. The room she stood in was barely lit up, with desks where people sat and seemed to be monitoring what was happening in the room below. 

“Come closer, I would like you to see the excellence of your soldier.” ___ carefully placed her hands on the railing just before the glass that exposed the room with the fighting men. She watched as he fought with another person below, the floor was stained with blood already, but none of it was his. 

“We call him the Winter Soldier, or the asset, and he is one of Hydra's best creations.” She looked at him while he spoke but her attention was brought to the soldier as he gracefully fended off the man, who upon closer inspection, held a knife in his hand. She gasped as the man nearly sliced into the soldiers abdomen and the man with the coat chuckled at her worry. 

“Oh, don't worry, the soldier was made to be very formidable. He is very skilled in this and in many other ways. But you, my dear, will be skilled in things that he is not. For you, he fights stronger, faster, and much more finely than if you were not present. My hypothesis is going to be tested today, and there were many who did not believe me.” The man with the coat removed the mask and bent a pipe with a little black thing on it towards him as he spoke clearly into it. 

“Open ventilations 1, room 4 dash 5.” He said and a part of the floor moved away to reveal a vent that she stood above. It seemed to be gently pulling air from around her form. He immediately took a clipboard from the table next to him watching closely as the soldier, inhaled deeply. His eyes became darker, a look of determination taking over his features. His kicks and hits became harder, his tactical rolls became faster. In no time, he had taken the knife from his opponent and pinned him to the floor. The vent underneath her closed and Dr. Paskiewicz grinned in satisfaction. 

“Due to your confusion, your scent has portrayed distress, and the effect on the soldier was marvelous. You will serve purposes similar to this, but not only this. I did say you would enjoy something after all.” He said, giving his clipboard to a woman, who filed the papers away. While the doctor was speaking with her, her eyes focused on the soldier, and confusedly he turned to look in her direction. His dark gaze seemed to go right through the glass as the burn of his stare fell on her. Through his eyes, she could see he was not the same man who whispered to her in the night about his few memories, who kissed her gently before he left. He was not there in his eyes, but it was… Someone else. He grinned up at her and she looked away to see the doctor calling her. 

“Today or next year ?” She hurriedly fell in step with the doctor again, glancing back but quickly looking away. 

She sat in the chair at the desk as the doctor explained to her the purpose of her education. 

“As you know, we cannot put you through the same treatments as we have the asset, So I have decided that you will be much more helpful by my side. As an assistant of course. You will assist me in creating new programs to ensure the success of the new project that Hydra is working on completing. We need all the minds possible to work on the coding and what not, and you will be my… Apprentice of sorts. And of course, you will occasionally be meeting and coming in contact with the asset, to better, well… Calm him. Although he is older and stronger, I believe you can do such a thing. He can become extremely aggressive at times and the superiors are becoming irritated about the number of people he's putting down… Anyway, you and I shall become great friends, a teacher and his student. I've always wanted to..” She half heartedly listened to his rambling, mostly because she felt guilty if she tuned him all the way out. 

“Dr. Paskiewicz ?” She said, interrupting his lecture on the importance of education. 

“Yes ?” 

“What exactly will I be learning ?” she asked. 

“You will be my legacy, of course ! I have- I suppose - failed to reproduce, so, you will know everything that I know when we finish here, and you will carry on my work. I think it's more efficient than using databases.” She nodded and he glanced up at the clock. 

“Oh, that reminds me. From know on, you will wake everyday and dress to come work with me. But every good scientist needs rest, so you will retire from your.. Lessons, so to speak, at around 7. And I have just realized you have no concept of time. And also we have time for your first lesson ! How wondrous !” For the entirety of three hours, the doctor explained the importance of math and science but somehow had a debate with himself arguing that something called liberal arts was just as important. She listened intently, but didn't really know what he was talking about half of the time.

“Now that you know why those are important, I think that before understanding anything else, one must understand oneself first. Unfortunately, your purpose and mode of creation is classified. But the power you contain has something to do with your scent. Your very name is a big hint. It is also unfortunate that I don't speak Latin. But to completely avoid that we'll start with some simple biology !” He took out a flimsy notepad and a pen and put it on the desk in front of her. “You are welcome to write down what you deem is important or difficult and ask questions if you do not understand. Anyway, let's start with the atom…” 

After he went into the topic of atoms, he explained the different natures of cells. She found it fun to ask him questions, because of seemed like he could go on about plant cells for a million years. Well, that was before she promptly reminded him of his original topic. Before either of them knew it, it was time for her to retire for the night. 

“I am very sorry my dear, I know that your thirst for knowledge has not yet been quenched, but it is time for you to return to your room.” He said shrugging in the long white coat. 

“But Dr. Paskiewicz, we just entered into the study of organelles !” She exclaimed, she actually enjoyed the organelles more than growth and decay. 

“It seems that you can retain knowledge very well, and quickly too. Just think, tomorrow we will test how much you have remembered !” She nodded. 

“OK, until tomorrow, Dr. Paskiewicz.” He smiled and told her goodbye as the soldiers escorted her to her room, where she was almost sure that the soldier was waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Dr. Paskiewicz is actually based on one of my favorite teachers. 
> 
> I know that school sucks, but hey, combat sucks too. Some fics make you fight and stuff, but I feel like its easier to describe cells than combat moves that I have no idea about. 
> 
> Love you !


	7. Temulentia 7.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some smut, and if you don't like it, just make sure to come back for chapter 8.
> 
> малышка.malyshka - little girl
> 
> Reminder: reader or you, can be any age. I don't care. Be whatever, do whatever.
> 
> I will still love you 
> 
> Enjoy chapter 7 !

The men dressed in black walked her down the hallway and right back outside the room that she knew. They opened the door and she entered immediately, not wanting to be shoved harshly inside. They closed the door behind her, but she did not look, instead her eyes landed on the man with blue eyes. He stood, as of earlier, he was pacing, wondering where they took her. But here she stood in front of him. He felt his fists and jaw clench at her scent. She was not hurt, for which he was thankful for, but that didn't change his state of worry. 

“Where were you ?” She blinked at his words and then slowly her eyes slid up to look into his. They were wild looking, pupils blown, the plates in his metal arm shifting from the position of his fist. 

“They took you away first, when I woke up you were gone. A man was here and he said he's gonna teach me all the stuff I should know, he told me all about this stuff ! He said they call you the winter soldier and something about liberal arts.” His eyes widened again and they fell to the floor in defeat. She knew of all the sins he committed, all the blood on his hands. For all of his strength, he wanted to collapse, but she did not let him. She grabbed him by the hand and made him sit on the mattress where they slept. The more he listened to her, the more he realized that she had no idea what the winter soldier did. What she did talk about was cells and this Dr. Paskiewicz and biology. He felt relieved slightly, but his relief was short lived. He knew it was only a matter of time before she would come to know the darkness of the asset. 

__ had fallen asleep talking about her day in his arms and he bunched her up further into his arms to keep her close to him in a protective nature. He listened to her soft breathing, falling into the same speed, his hands resting on her hips and across her back. She was small and fit into his body perfectly. The gentle smell slowly pulling him into sleep. He woke to the feeling of squirming and wiggling and he only held onto her tighter, his fingers curled into the cloth of her garment. His voice was raspy and quiet in her ear and she froze when she heard him. 

“Where do you think you're going ?” He said, inhaling deeply, consuming her scent. His body curving over her so his lips could brush against her ear and her neck. He laid gentle kisses against her skin, pressing his hips into her backside. 

“I was gonna-” she tried to say, but was interrupted by her gasp. She whimpered as his kisses turned into little nips at her delicate skin. His arm snaked under her and tugged her much closer to him, any progress she made to leave the bed forgotten. His hands drifted down until they tugged up her garment. This time, his metal and flesh hands were firmly against her body until they reached the underwear she wore. His metal hand held her hip still against his own, his warm flesh hand pulling her underwear down to her thighs. She mewled a little as his index finger touched a very sensitive part of her.  
He rubbed there as she yelped and whimpered, wanting her release. She moaned and her hips were sent back as he brushed something sensitive again. He groaned low into her ear, his metal hand squeezing a little tighter than before. She gasped and placed her hand on the coldness of it. He rolled his hips against her and growled at the feeling of their warm bodies so close to each other, the warmth traveling up his fingers. He placed sloppy wet kisses all over her jaw and neck as he slipped his finger inside the tight and wet entrance. She moaned again and he grinned in pride at her blissful face. His lips and teeth left marks all over her neck, the hair that grew slightly on his jaw scratching her. His finger made its way in and out of her heat, the wetness making the movements much smoother. She trembled slightly and her whimpers became louder as he touched her so sweetly. The pleasure that he felt when she touched him seemed to be amplified when his fingers pressed into a certain spot inside of her heat. To gather more of her, of the ambrosia that leaked from her, he entered another finger that stretched her a little more than before. She gasped at the feeling. 

“More, give me more !” He chuckled quietly into her ear as she gasped and mewled. 

“What was that ? I didn't hear you say please, малышка.(malyshka)” At a steady pace, his fingers came in and out of her, pushing her closer and closer to release. 

“Please soldier, touch me more !” At her panting words, something in him snapped and his fingers pushed in a little deeper. She nearly screamed, but managed to keep it at a strained moan. The speed of his fingers picked up as he added another. His knee held her thighs open, exposing his fingers pushing and pulling inside of her, the wet lewd noises causing something in him to engage. He licked and bit at the junction of her neck, indulging in her cries of pleasure. Her skin provided surging waves of pleasure that sloshed together with his blood, until the only thing he could think about was her. He could only feel her, smell her, hear her. And no one else. 

Suddenly, he curled his fingers and she fell into her release drowning in the pleasure. She moaned loudly and he stilled her hips with his strong hands. He removed his fingers from her as she came down from her release, she mewled as they left her heat in a slow slide. The fragrance swirled about him, his fingers delving into his mouth, his tongue licking away all of the remnants of her sweetness, the taste leaving His nose came to nuzzle into her neck as his hips came closer to her. He brushed his metal finger along her thighs and pulled her underwear up, and her clothing down. She turned to face him, their eyes meeting, hers sort of drowsy and his wild with pleasure. His irises were nearly black. Pulling him closer in a kiss, her fingers came to trace random shapes along his abdomen and the pleasure from both sensations sent him over the edge. He exhaled slowly, the built tension finally crashing down in one heap of hot tangled limbs and pants of gratification and hedonism. His breathing was heavy and the sound was pleasing to hear, knowing that she made him feel this way. He promptly pulled her close and fell asleep again. ___ giggled realizing that she was right back where she started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading !


	8. Temulentia 8.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 8 ! 
> 
> There is a shit ton of information in this chapter and it is all made up. You are welcome to correct any plot holes or things that go way off of the original canon story line.
> 
> But you do have to read most of it to know what the hell will be happening in later chapters.
> 
> As always, criticism is welcome ! 
> 
> Love you !

For six months, she worked with Dr. Paskiewicz to learn about things that she should know. He was amazed with her progress. She grasped and retained information at incredibly fast rates. With one lecture, he would never have to explain what he talked about ever again. She had already studied basic math, english, history, science, and was on her way to the in-depth learning program and it had only been six months. She quickly learned how to type at breakneck speeds and with Dr. Paskiewicz help, she would surpass his genius within at the most 3 months. After all, she would learn things faster on the computer. She studied a lot of the things that the doctor could not teach her on one of the computers he brought her. 

“But why do I have to use the computer ?” He smiled warmly. 

“Mostly because I am easily surpassed by it. As much as I would like it to be true, I am not an infinite fount of knowledge. You will learn to defeat opponents and quickly move to the next. One cannot stay in one place too long in the mind or in any state really.” She pouted slightly. 

“But I want you to teach me !” She crossed her arms and knit her eyebrows in dismay to show her irritation. Dr. Paskiewicz chuckled at her childlike behavior. 

“It is truly disheartening to discover that one cannot always get what one wants. You must compromise, my dear. If there is one thing I can still teach you, it's moral lessons and virtues.” He said, ruffling her hair. “And I must have Ms. Drew give you a bath. You may smell good, but that does not mean you can fall behind with your hygiene.” He scolded her. 

“Yes Dr.Paskiewicz.” she said with disdain as she continued her studies on the computer. She learned different languages, new advances made in science, cultural differences, social issues, literature, mythology and just about everything else there was to really learn about. She loved to read and to write, to understand, it was a new and thrilling experience. 

“Dr. Paskiewicz ?” He hummed in acknowledgement, still at his work station, and she asked her question. “Will there ever be a time that I will leave this place ?” She said softly, her typing becoming slow and then stopping all together. She had hoped to keep the question as casual as possible, but her endeavor proved fruitless when she faced him. He turned to look at her. She watched his expression, a quiet sadness coming over him. 

“Well, my dear, that all depends on what the superiors say about you and what they deem you useful for. This organization is a cold one and almost never cares about underlings like you and me. In the grand scheme of things, they think we don't exactly matter. I suppose you can't just attempt to show them how undoubtedly valuable you are. You and I might know, but they will judge. It is a dismal reality, but one that must be approached without fear. For I am very fearful. Often for my life. But you can defeat them Temulentia !” He said in an excited whisper, holdong her in place by the shoulders.  
“Knowledge is power, and you must use whatever is in your power to get to safety. This project, it is not right. But I am too scared to oppose them. You would do well to defend against them. Get to safety by any means you can, and let the world know of their travesties !” He cleared his throat and distanced himself, acting as if he had said nothing. “I am afraid I do not know child. You will have to impress me.” He said and winked at her obviously. She giggled and went back to her work, although rather slowly, still mulling over his speech. 

With each passing day of the week, she talked about the outside with her soldier. So much so, that she seemed to be restless, never tiring of speaking of it. She hoped that maybe if she spoke of it enough, he would show her where it was and she could go from there. But soon she stopped, knowing that the plan was too simple. She felt far too guilty to abuse his trust like that. There was no choice but to make her own escape efforts and to assume that because the soldier adored her, he would not brutally beat her into submission like she had seen him do to the other men he “sparred” with. She especially was confused about the chilling smug grin that crossed his face as he glared into the two way glass, somehow knowing that her eyes were on him, his chest swelling with pride in some sort of primal way of impressing her. 

As she sat in her chair in front of the computer, she glanced around the room and saw no cameras. The guards were on post outside of the double doors, as to not “disturb” the two scholars and she felt glad at Dr.Paskiewicz decision to leave them there. She set up her search so that they could never trace it back to this room and did some extra proofing to prevent her discovery as she did her research. First, she would need to know the location of the hallways and upper levels from her current location, finding the correlation to the room she slept in, the room she was in now, and the room Dr.Paskiewicz showed her, making markers for herself to follow on her way out. But some snooping around could be done as well. She opened the database and connected the password breaker to the menu, typing in the commands to change the I.P address to one of the superiors she had heard of in passing that she knew had clearance level for the files. She sorted them by the key words winter and soldier. The files sorted themselves and she opened them in the order of most opened by the officials history. 

The first was in Russian and she was glad that she was fluent. It contained a detailed description of a Dr.Zola's cryo chamber and the production of the second version of something called the super soldier serum. She read through its purpose and learned that it was inspired by the super soldier serum created by Dr.Erskine during World War II that made Steve Rogers the ever famous Captain America. It was also used to cause a human growth hormone effect on someone but with more effective and permanent results, dwarfing any previous experiments with the same intentions. 

The next page contained pictures of the outside and inside of the chamber, but with no occupants. She sped read through the mechanics and skipped down to the capture of an american sergeant named ‘James Buchanan Barnes’ who was captured as a POW during World War II. He stood smiling dressed in time period typical clothing, the hat tilting over his bright face, and his clean shaven face was so happy. She felt sorrowful for him, that they had taken away his happiness. When he was captured his arm had been compromised so Zola and his team of scientists thought it better to remove the remnants and sterilize it, and replace the appendage with an “invincible” one, made of vibranium, a metal that was indestructible. She was impressed at the work Zola and his team accomplished, but that did not change the dastardliness of the deed. 

In order to make James more complacent, they decided to brainwash him, ridding him of any previous memories he had, so he wouldn't protest or disobey. They used a set of words that would bring him into the state of the Winter Soldier through a journal, a photo of the journal attached to the document. Hydra immediately began the research and eventual completion of the machine that would conveniently wipe all of his memories away, simultaneously disabling his ability to be captured and interrogated about any past assassinations or missions. Apparently, the use of the machine they created was so painful, they needed to put a rubber block in his mouth from biting his tongue off. She winced. Was all of this really necessary ? After his first mission, they prepped him for the chamber and put him in to keep him from aging. He would be the perfect assassin, somehow surviving for decades, taking out larger public figures or cornerstone scientists, unable to be interrogated, and could probably skip you like a rock across the ocean with that metal arm if he really wanted to. 

Many assassinations, presidents, coups, wars, and iron curtains later, the Winter Soldier is still used for top priority missions, only taken from the cryo chamber if needed. The Hydra organization slowly creeps into other organizations such as the KGB, SHIELD, and other covert organizations around the world. Maybe the octopus is an accurate symbol. The latest assassination on the roster was a couple of weeks ago, and she recognizes that night as the night he left. It was a simple sniper mission that he didn't seem needed for. The next page reveals Temulentia, a picture of herself unconscious on a metal lab table. It seems surreal, her hair at least a centimeter shorter than now.

Clicking back, she enters the word Temulentia into the database and more than 30 files are listed. The first one reveals two photos, one of a woman with similar facial features and dark black hair, Rosaline Barousse and the other, Sergey Vasnetsov. The woman was a French spy that worked in and out of Vichy France, with the French resistance and the man was a high ranking soviet general who had fallen in love with the spy. 

Together, they had a child, ______ Barousse Vasnetsov. A decade and a half later, the cold war is in effect. Vasnetsov and his family discovered that his superiors do not approve of his marriage to Rosaline and have deemed their daughter perfect for project Temulentia. He and his family are found fleeing Russia through the Ural mountains and are quickly captured. Their plans of going to the U.S are destroyed and they are discreetly executed. Their daughter is captured either way as planned and given a different variation serum called Temulentum that will boost the immune system, inflate pheromone output glands, increase fat storage by 5%, and widen the hips. Very much unlike any serums created thus far. Most were similar in DNA and genetic makeup to boost muscle growth and bone thickness. 

The USSR at this point has come into brief possession of the Winter Soldier, and have installed a red star onto his arm and are using him to take out some US officials that were going to be key to ending the cold war in favor of the US. She read through the 21st page, officially stating that her purpose is to sexually reproduce with the Winter Soldier to make perfect smart strong children, hopefully with perfectly copied sets of both the Super Soldier Serum and the Temulentum Serum. They would use there children to make whole squadrons of super soldiers and send the girls to the Red Room program to become spies for the KGB. She blushed. Well sure, she wouldn't tell him no if he tried to have children with her, but for her children to end up ripped from her arms and have guns and holsters shoved into their faces ? Not like this. The newer files show that the KGB never succeeded in carrying out the experiment as planned and put her inside of a cryo chamber, leaving her in a perfect suspended animation. 

Hydra rediscovered her existence in 2013, many years later. The cold war is over and the Winter Soldier is still in action. A board meeting is held and they decide that sense the soldier cannot last forever, they will reintroduce Temulentia to the asset at another attempt for them to have children and use their children as copies of them. Hopefully, later they can reproduce the serums to avoid inbreeding. Cloning has not yet been perfected and is tabled for later discussion. 

The photo of her on the lab table reappears and she glances at it before quickly looking away. She is brought out of cryo and wiped of her memories before she can protest. That was the day the soldiers dragged her to the room and threw him in two hours later, to make sure that her scent would prevent him from snapping her neck. She winced. That could have easily gone awry. Further down the scanned paper, they prescribe a vitamin that looks extremely familiar. The candies that she eats everyday are actually vitamins to better prepare the body for childbirth. She shivered and closed the files, having witnessed enough for one day. She studied the map for all but ten minutes before exiting the programs and deactivating the codes she entered. Finally she understood. Ignorance is sometimes bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, I'm just making up stuff as I go, so I suck at science and coding, sorry if the information is inaccurate.
> 
> Thank you fore reading !


	9. Temulentia 9.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 9 !
> 
> I'm actually not sure about how the timeline lines up with any of the movies, but if I were to guess, maybe a little bit before the winter soldier. You don't have to really relate it to anything of you don't wanna. 
> 
> Love you !

Over the course of 2 days, ___ had almost finished developing her plan. She had found a hallway that was abandoned due to a lab accident 5 months ago, a just as abandoned stairwell,(most likely because of the elevator less than 3 yards away) and a gate that lead outside of the facility which seemed to be a little less guarded than the others. Instead of cleaning up the hallway outside of the lab the scientists were working in, they just abandoned the lab. The lab was on the first underground level, and the stairwell she could count on because no one even used it anymore. The last recorded use was 1 month ago, and that was because the elevator was out of service. The gate would prove more difficult to bypass. She knew that her scent would draw attention. But maybe that would prevent anyone from wanting to hurt her. She couldn't know until she tried. By developing a portable code breaker, she could be past the gate in at the most 3 minutes.

As usual, ___ went about her lessons with Dr. Paskiewicz, going over different languages, different instruments, and some of Dr. Paskiewicz favorite authors. She used her hour of free time to fully polish her plan, smoothing over the details, like possible days with less activity around the base, what to do if she was found, and what would happen if she went over the time limit. She decided that her plan would be best executed on the day that base wide training took place. Although they would be prepared for a situation like this, all of the guards and squadrons would be on the other side of the base. What would she even do after she escaped ? She knew that there were people who would protect her, there had to be. But how could she get to them before Hydra got to her ? She would send a distress signal, but she had no way of being sure who exactly would receive it. Her resolve to escape on her own accord became stronger, soon the plan would be in fruition and she would have to find safety quick. If she could get out of the base, she could reach out and be safe. Perhaps, she could enlist the help of the number one hydra fighter. He would have no reason to trust her, and many to be wary, but if she could convince him of her true intentions, he would without a doubt protect her from her creators and captors. 

___ uttered no words of her plans to her soldier. He could not know that she was going to escape. His cluelessness would give her the perfect opportunity to slip past him in his shock. She could only hope that he found it in him to not break her in two and deliver her back into the clutches of this sick organization. She had done enough snooping to feel sick to her stomach at her revelations of the true intentions of Hydra. In order to keep her soldier in the dark about her plans, she lavished him in kisses and hugs. She gave him all of her attention, her love, gentle brushes of her fingertips all over his body had him sweating and growling, trying not to give in to his release so easily each time she filled the room with her alluring fragrance. She felt that it was necessary to make him remember her when he would be inevitably sent after her. But that was not the end of her reasons. She cared for him, in a way she could not remember feeling for anyone else. Her heart would surely break for leaving him behind. Yet she would escape by any means necessary. She knew that to truly set her soldier free, she would have to loosen the grip Hydra had on him first. 

The base where she and the soldier were housed in was somewhere snowy, most likely in some sort of mountain range. Her chances of making it out of the mountains were slim to none. She would be forced to send some sort of message to the captain, telling him of her location and of her situation. Now that she was actually writing it, she didn't know what to say.

S.O.S ? HELP ME ! in all caps ? Should she encrypt it to make it seem more authentic ?  
In the end she just wrote a simple message and converted it to an SMS. Because he was famous, she hoped that would be enough to convince him to answer. After, the longest 6 minutes of her life, she finally received an answer. A short and blunt, “who is this and how did you get my number ?” and she was excited to officially be in contact with Captain America. She replied with a brief description of what hydra had planned for her, but did not mention her soldier. She knew that he would recognize him from all those years ago. ____ would tell him later about him, but for now, she did not want to make it seem even more like a trap. She gave him the coordinates as well as the date and time of her plan to escape. When she finished putting in the coordinates, she contemplated adding something else. Her decision was made quickly. Above all else, she needed him to believe her. She began to type her hopefully persuasive plea for help. 

‘I know that you might not believe me and I will not hold it against you if you do not. But I beg of you, you must believe me. There is little I can do after I step foot out of this facility. Please. Trust me.’ With a deep breath, she clicked the “send” icon. All she could do now was wait for his response. 

When she returned to her room, the man with blue eyes, whom she had found out was originally called James, was not there. She sat on the mattress picking at the little balls of string on the mattress. Almost immediately, her thoughts drifted to her plan. She felt anxious, her stomach dropping as she realized that the escape attempt was in less than 30 hours. She shivered with excitement. It felt almost childish to say now, but soon she would see the outside. The sky, the people, the sun. All of which she only witnessed pictures of. Although the con's were few, she still felt forlorn about the man, James. She would be leaving for a greater cause, but he wouldn't understand. 

The sound of boots echoed down the hallway and the door opened, the soldiers closing the door behind the man with blue eyes. His eyes fell on her and they became a little brighter. She smiled softly, careful to not show him anything that would make him suspicious. For tomorrow she would be leaving this place and she could not afford to look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and come back for chapter 10 !


	10. Temulentia 10.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 10 !
> 
> Love you !

It was the 5 hour mark and the feeling of dreadful anxiety nearly made her pass out. The door was so close and yet so far from her fingertips. Earlier, she eagerly logged in to her computer and made the programs secure before she checked her inbox. Relief flooded her at his reply. 

Captain Rogers had agreed to meet her at the coordinates at seventeen hundred hours. She was ecstatic and replied with the urgency of his punctuality. If he was not there at exactly 5 o'clock with some sort of transportation, all of her planning and worrying would be in vain. During her study hours she was constantly drumming her fingers on the seat of the harp she was learning to play, or picking at the harp strings, often distracted by looking at the time. Even Dr. Paskiewicz noticed her strange behavior. 

“Temulentia, what is wrong ? I know you well enough to notice when you get fidgety like this.” He said from across the dimly lit room, sorting through his notes. ___ turned to face him in her place, sighing. 

“Dr.Paskiewicz, I have something to tell you about.” He looked at her confusedly. She sat in her seat at her desk while he pulled a chair closer. 

“What is it my dear ?” Reluctantly, she told him of her plan. 

First, she would tell the guards she was leaving to the bathroom as an excuse of leaving the room. She was not allowed to be escorted to the bathroom due to the effects she had on the common human, unless the guard was wearing either a surgical, or gas mask. And most were to lazy to do that or get in trouble for not doing it. Plus, she had given them no reason to think she was doing anything else but using the bathroom. 

Next, she would go down the hallway, past her room, and then turning right would lead her to the stairwell. Quietly, she should only climb two flights before she would find the door that was not as heavily guarded. She had developed a small chip that was jammed into keypads and would override the lock. She would need that to go by as quickly as possible. With what little she knew about sneaking around, she hoped her speed would be enough to be outside of the gate at exactly 5. 

“And how do you expect to leave this place with the surrounding environment and survive ?” 

“I have already contacted someone to come and rescue me, Dr.Paskiewicz. As you said yourself, it is pertinent that I escape as soon as possible and join what little Hydra opposing forces there are. I have inside knowledge that can have this base destroyed as well as these.” She said, holding a small silver USB. With its small size, it didn’t look like much, but thousands of files had been carefully sorted and encrypted by her own work, a powerful weapon forged for destruction. The doctor was silent for a moment, making the small girl a little more than nervous. Perhaps Hydra had finally convinced him that they were pursuing righteous endeavors. The breath she held was released when he spoke. 

“Well, I will need to make plans to escape as well. I will not be appreciated by these forces you speak of because of the work that I have done here.” He said turning to his computer at his own desk. 

“Dr.Paskiewicz, you should come with me ! I’m sure if I tell them of your resistance and involuntary participation in these projects, they will grant you safe passage like they have with me !” she exclaimed. Since Dr.Paskiewicz was assigned as her mentor, she felt a connection to him. He was a mentor and a sort of father to her, always guiding her in the right direction. A Life without his guidance would have been idle and nugatory, mindlessly falling into the role Hydra had planned for her. He merely looked at her. 

“I’m afraid I would only weigh you down. It is not my time and the speed aspect of your plan is compulsory to ensure your success, I will be evacuated like the rest of those employed here. For now, they will believe that I am loyal to their cause. But soon I shall follow you in your freedom. All I can do now is assist your efforts.” He told her, turning to his computer. “I will send a fake signal to the radio tower, requesting the guards that watch gate F87 to report to your room to search for you. By then you will have passed that point and will be climbing the second flight of stairs.” He said, fabricating the format of a command and making it sound like it was from a superior, coming over the walkie talkies the guards use. She thanked him profusely and embraced him. 

“I am extremely thankful for your assistance Dr.Paskiewicz. I could not ever repay you in a way that is fair.” She said, sniffling a little. 

“Do not cry child. The hour of your escape is here and you must be on your way.” He reminded, placing the USB and chip in her hands, smiling in encouragement. She simply nodded. 

“Goodbye Dr.Paskiewicz. May you find your freedom.” 

“The same to you, my dear.” She offered her last smile before quietly exiting the room. 

 

Socked feet made no sound on the linoleum of the tiles in the hallway. Her movements were quick, but steady and before she knew it, she was scaling the stairway. She felt as if she was walking on the surface of mars, the new place was so strange. She could only imagine the sight of the outside. She drew her breath into her lungs to relieve the burning sensation. She did not linger and was stuffing the chip into the seam of the keypad as fast as she could. The keypad beeped and flashed green, her hand reaching out to the silver handle. Her fingers curled around the handle of the doorway and she released a sigh. The adrenaline rushed through her and she twisted the handle. 

In slow deliberate steps, she walked out into the light. The light from the windows along the entryway nearly blinded her but she refused to close her eyes. The light was so beautiful. It was painful to see, but the pain was easily drowned out by the amazement. She laughed a little. The guards were gone and the gate was her last obstacle. Before she could reach it, the man with blue eyes bursted through the door of the stairwell. She watched in half terror and half bewilderment as he harshly pulled the door of the stairwell closed. He destroyed the keypad on the opposite side with his metal fist, the mechanism crushed under the power of his arm. He shook his metal hand a little to clear the pieces away, turning to face her. In fear, she drew back slightly. 

“Where do you think you're going ?” He said, his frown almost making her feel heavy. She was quiet for a moment in her shock before she found her voice. But before she could answer he spoke again. “You're leaving, aren't you ?” She stiffly nodded her head. “I was ordered to bring you back. But I won’t.” He admitted, running his flesh fingers through his chocolate colored hair, sweeping it back. He looked away, but quickly made eye contact with her again. He chuckled a little and she took another step back. “I knew that it was too good to be real. No one wants to be too close to me.” She felt slight relief that he was not going to bring her back. In the distance she heard a helicopter and she knew that her saviors were upon them. She approached the man with blue eyes. 

“To be truly close to you, we must be away from this place. You are strong and I know you will liberate yourself from them.” She said taking his face into her hands. Instinctively, his hands came to rest at her hips, his lungs filling with her essence. She kissed him and he eagerly kissed her back, his melancholy eyes closing for the few brief moments of bliss. She brought her lips to his ear. “Come and find me and I shall be yours and yours alone.” She whispered. Her departure seemed to happen so quickly yet so slowly, his heart beating as the alarm sirens of the base went off somewhere in the background of his mind. He rushed after her. 

“Promise me I’ll see you again.” He yelled over the sound of the helicopter, his metal hand breaking the lock on the gate for her. She only smiled. 

“That’s a promise you should make to me.” 

“Well, I promise you, I’ll see you again.” Her smile lit up her face. She laid a kiss on his cheek before rushing up the small set of stairs and out to board the helicopter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it seems a bit ooc.  
> I hope you enjoyed it anyway. 
> 
> Thank you for reading !


	11. Temulentia 11.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay you have escaped !
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 11 !
> 
> Love you

___ climbed the last step and walked out into the outside. The grayness of the sky was close to white, the snow all around only adding to the blanched feel. But the shiny black helicopter was an absolutely alien thing. The blades on top whirled about so quick that you could not see them individually, pushing air all around her. The wind whipped about her, her long hair wrapping around her neck like a scarf. Shivering in excitement at the sight of her savior she shakily walked up to the door of the aircraft. The blades of the helicopter nearly overpowered the man's voice, but she still heard it, the word so clear. 

“C’mon !” The man with blond hair said, reaching his hand out to the unfamiliar small woman. She took it and he easily lifted her into the helicopter. He sat her on the seat inside and slid the door of the aircraft closed, the quietness of the inside compared to the outside seeming like silence. He sat next to her and cleared his throat. “Uhh, you gotta buckle up.” He said, his voice strong and kind, though shy in a way. His eyes were the same way, a more vibrant shade of blue than her soldiers. She nodded and copied his actions bringing the belts across her chest. The woman piloting the aircraft turned to look at her, eyeing her for a few moments before turning her attention back to piloting the helicopter. She observed the woman before turning to talk to the man. 

“You are Steve Rogers, right ?” He nodded his head, his face showing sudden confusion. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but is that you…?” He asked, his eyes looking upon her like the pilot was doing earlier. 

“Oh, why, erhmm, yes that's me, if you are talking about the aroma, they are pheromones my body creates in times of great emotion. I would just like to thank you for trusting me, I- I thought that you wouldn't want to come because of the strangeness of it all.” Her voice was soft, sweet, but steady and clear. His hand came to the back of his neck and rubbed there. He was a bashful person and she thought it was nice to see that in a person who could easily take pride in his accomplishments. 

“It's no problem, really,” he reassured, looking away before looking at her again. “So, what's your name ?” At his question. ___ was taken aback. She had not decided on a name. Temulentia was the name Dr.Paskiewicz called her, and the Latin sound was fine and all. But she didn't know if she should call herself by the name she read on the document. No one had ever called her by that name. 

“My name is apparently ____, but you can call me Temulentia. No one has ever called me by the former.” She mumbled the last sentence. She played with her fingertips, the nails pink and white at the tip, scratching them mindlessly against the rough material of the seat belt. 

 

Steve watched her closely, partly because he wanted to keep an eye on her and partly because of the way she smelled. It was like the air around her was pulling him in, his body slowly, almost unnoticeably coming closer to hers. Suddenly she turned to face him, their faces closer than before. Blue eyes met her ___ once and she blinked slowly. 

“I haven't eaten dinner today. When we land, would you mind terribly if I ate dinner before we begin to talk ?” He quickly sat up straight, his face a little pink. 

“Of course !” Raising her eyebrows a little, she nodded and turned to the window. She heard the pilot laugh a little. 

 

After she had eaten what she had been told was ‘spaghetti’, Steve led her down a hallway in the large building he had taken her to. The walls on the outside were made of cement but she was happy to know the inside did not look the same. Who ever designed the building seemed to have expensive taste and a particular preference for orange tinted lighting and glass. She was distracted most of the time by looking out of the large windows, the late afternoon sky lulling the world to a quiet murmur. He opened the door to a room and held it for her. Hesitantly she shuffled forward, and peeked into the room. 

All that was inside was a table and two chairs facing each other, the beige panels on the walls making the room seem dull. She turned to look at the captain who only smiled warmly at her. One foot in front of the other, she came in front of the chair, which the man also pulled out for her. His behavior was strange. Obviously her motor skills were functional enough to pull out her own chair. But she did not question it, liking the way he did things for her. She sat on the chair as he sat on his own, leaning back and crossing his arms over his broad chest. His physique was similar to her soldiers, his muscled arms and long athletic legs, the stances that they held at times even looked identical. His face became serious, her back becoming straight at the hard look he was giving her. 

“So, Temulentia, how did you first come into contact with Hydra ?”he asked, looking deep into her, most likely looking for her tell. She swallowed. 

“My parents, they lived in Russia during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union had not yet collapsed. My father was a general and my mother, a French spy during World War II. They were married a year after the war ended and I was born soon after. At this time, Hydra was mainly a Nazi organization, and now pooled what was left of it into The KGB. My father's superiors thought that I was the perfect candidate for the project they were developing called Temulentum. When my father heard news of this, he attempted escape from the country and was executed for his treason, as well as my mother. They captured me, and carried out the project, but abandoned the project leaving me in a cryo chamber. Hydra rediscovered me in 2013 and began research in 2014. In early 2015, I am brought out of cryo and escape with the aid of the SHIELD organization.” She said, leaning her head in her arms which rested on the table. 

“How do you know all of this ? The file we attained stated that you were wiped shortly after you were brought off the ice.” He said, his brows furrowed in confusion. She lifted her eyes to look into his. 

“I read that file too. All I know of myself, I read on a document. But it seems like you did not ‘attain’ enough if you only found one. Project Temulentum was created to provide more super soldiers to the KGB and Hydra. My purpose was to have children with and help control the Winter Soldier. And That, is why I am here. If it were not for the enlightenment I received, I would have fallen into this disgusting forced procreation. They would have ripped my children from my arms and trained them to be tools. Weapons. My children will not be weapons, Captain.” ___ elaborated.   
“I have come here to emancipate myself and the soldier, along with any others captured by this organization. And I have not come empty handed.” She said, taking the small USB from her sleeve and carefully putting it in front of him. He examined first by sight, and then with his hands. He picked it up and told her to wait for a little. He opened the door, leaving her in silence. 

She felt as if she was being watched and turned to the glass window, which was certainly two way glass. She saw her reflection and felt strange looking at herself. Realizing that there was someone probably looking at her, she turned around and sat patiently. She sighed and sat low in her chair. An air of relaxation fell on her. Finally, escape had been accomplished. But she knew that this was not the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it sucked, thanks for reading !
> 
> Chapter 12 should be out tomorrow


	12. Temulentia 12.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 12 !
> 
> Love you !
> 
> Criticism is welcome.

Drops of blood fell freely to the floor but each one was accounted for, their worth calculated and deemed valuable. Each one paid for her freedom and happiness and there was nothing better that his blood could ever pay for. They strapped both of his arms to the seat which was bolted to the floor for safety precautions. A moldy smell filled his lungs from the strange dampness of the room, the dim setting making it seem more unnerving. One single light bulb dangled from the ceiling of the room shining a measly flickering light onto his form. His fingers were curled into fists, the muscles in his flesh arm taut and the delicate plates in the metal one shifted and adjusted. The man that had caused the flow of his blood drew his arm back to strike him again, his knuckles protected by the brass knuckles, the movement fluid and fast. 

When he watched his beloved leave him, he, as if he was broken, trudged reluctantly back to the evacuation center. At the very least, she did not completely reject him and leave him more bloody and bruised than the man with the brass knuckles could ever leave him. He was content to know that she showed some desire to see him again. In all likelihood, her rescuers would not want any involvement with him. But he knew that she did not deserve to be kept here. Soon he would join her, he had made a promise after all. Who was he to drag her back to a place where she did not desire to stay ? She was a flower and flowers do not grow in the darkness of a place so cold like this. The pain he endured now was for her well being and he was going to take it all in stride, every moment bringing him peace. The blood flooded his mouth and leaked from his nose, but the tang of it on his tongue meant that she was not here. She successfully fled from here and would be safe from his own hands. Blows came one after another to his face or his abdomen and he simply emptied the feeling into the back of his mind, his memories of her at the forefront. Her smell, her lips, her fingers and hands, her hair, her touch, her skin, her eyes, her thighs, and her smile. Oh, her smile. She was beauty and she was nectar that dripped from the lips of the gods and into his hands, so lucky to have this wealth, this luxury. He could only be happy that she did not belong to this place, but to herself. 

His strength was plentiful, but not enough to keep himself at full fortitude, especially when restrained like this, unable to fight back. He was unconscious for a few moments in his head and when he came to, he was thrown carelessly to the floor of a room that was similar to the one that he knew all too well. Cold seeped into his back from the tiles, the nostalgic feeling from the first day he touched her. The blood on the floor near his head was cold and the bruises that would litter his body had already began to set in. Fatigue consumed him, the ache beginning to settle. And he laughed, then coughed a little, and laughed again. This was merely a fraction of the lengths he would go to for her. A walk in the park of hoops she could make him jump through, like a silly circus animal. A look from her was like the salve, the healing process for all of his pains. And whether they liked it or not, he would heal. 

He would see her again. It did not matter who had to die, who had to be eliminated. No one on earth could stop him. 

 

“Oh no, you've gone about this all wrong.” She said to the woman with red hair who sat next to her. ___ tried to keep her demeanor relaxed as to not harm the woman next to her. After some harmless experimentation on the guards, she knew her aroma could bring someone who was not genetically altered to unconsciousness if she was in choler or dismay. The woman's sharp eyes regarded the small girl's fingers closely. She typed commands incredibly fast, adding semicolons and periods to the ends of the commands. She clicked on the programs and changed the commands to bring up the password page. “Here, you missed an input slot, and here you didn't put the period on the command as well as… Here.” she said, fixing the command and typing in the password. “Most of these are classified documents containing base locations and plans for future projects and others have some notes about the projects.” 

“And you did these yourself, the encryption I mean ?” The woman asked incredulously, keeping her calm and borderline uninterested expression, scrolling through the long list of files and photos. ___ could tell she was trained to do that so well. 

“Yes, I was taught to do so by someone who had no loyalties to Hydra. I am grateful for his teachings.” The woman simply nodded and continued to look through the documents. 

“I'm Natasha.” She stated in a flat tone. “And you ?” __ looked down to her hands in her lap before lifting her head to look at Natasha. 

“My name is ___ but I prefer Temulentia.” She said, observing the woman. She was very beautiful, with striking eyes and an alluring comportment. Just then, Steve entered the room and called her name. She turned in her seat to regard him. 

“You wanna come see your room ? I thought that you might be tired is all.” He said, shuffling from one foot to the other. She nodded and began to rise from her seat as he stepped out into the hallway. Natasha's hand shot out like lightning, capturing ___ wrist in a tight grip. 

“I'm warning you now. If you try anything even slightly suspicious, I will know, and I will not hesitate to hurt you, Do you understand ?” Natasha's eyes glared into her and ___ nodded frantically, her scent strengthening in her distress and fear. She whimpered as Natasha quickly pulled back her hand from her skin.Her eyes narrowed. “Did you just try to poison me ?” She growled as she pinned her to the counter. __ only yelped, her back colliding with the hard surface. Steve most likely became curious about the girl and came out to see Natasha threatening her against the counter. 

“Nat, stop. Those are just her powers !” he exclaimed, pulling the woman's body from her proximity. She let out a breath at her relief. The woman glared at her before she stalked away, out the door on the opposite side of the room. That watched her leave before he turned his attention to her. “Sorry ‘bout that, she can be a little protective.” He apologized and she laid her palm on her beating heart.   
“C’mon, I'll show you your room.” ___ nodded and he smiled gently before leading her there. They walked down the hallway before he stopped at a plain white door. “So your room is on the same floor as mine. We are the only two on this floor, mostly ‘cause Tony thinks I should keep my ‘boring old people music’ to myself, but, yeah, I'll be close by if you need any help with anything.” He said, opening the door and letting her look at the room in its entirety. It had an attached bathroom and a bed with blankets and pillows, a few furnishings and lights that were not fluorescent 

“Who is Tony ?” she asked as she stepped into the room, the fluffy white rug on the floor cushioning her foot fall. She curled her toes in her socks at the strange feeling. He watched her as she swept her hands along the soft comforter on the bed. 

“Someone you'll meet soon enough.” She set her gaze on him and she smiled. 

“I- I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. Your kindness is absolutely immeasurable.” she sniffled and came to embrace him to express her appreciation. He pat her back politely. 

“Of course, I don't abandon people that need my help.” He said, trying not to come too close. He knew that she wasn't aware of the fragrance she emanated and he would be doomed if she touched him directly for too long. Luckily, she was not directly into contact with him and separated herself from him. They bid each other goodnight and he turned to leave. 

“I'll come to get you tomorrow morning for breakfast. See you then.” He concluded and softly closed the door behind him, leaving her to her own devices. Quietly outside, he sighed and drooped his head. The rest of the team was gonna kill him for this. 

 

Meanwhile, she looked through all of the drawers of the armoire and nightstand, as well as in the restroom, finding small useful objects. Some she understood and some not so much. Like the plastic wire in the bathroom drawer. Was that some sort of weapon, or… She shrugged and threw it back in there. She would ask Steve later. 

For now, she drew herself a bath like Ms.Drew used to do and washed herself before exiting the bathtub, drawing silly things in the foggy bathroom mirror. She put the robe around herself not bothering to tie it, wiping away the fog on the mirror, looking at herself in it. Giggling, she waved at herself and said hello, playing with her hair and taking in what she looked like. It was strangely freeing to finally see oneself through different eyes, a different perspective than what someone else said in a document. She could describe her own hair color, her own eye color, her own features. Finally closing the door to the bathroom, she put on the set of clothes she found in the armoire. A pack of generic women's underwear was inside as well as a set of generic bras and socks. In the drawer above was a pair of new sleep shorts and a plain black T-shirt and she liked the texture of both items, the polka dots on the shorts were nice too. She placed the socks on her feet like Ms.Drew taught her and brushed her socked feet across the rug. The top part of the socks bunched around her ankles like her old ones and she touched the new socks fondly. 

The lights in the room turned off as she flicked the switch by the door and she laid her head on the pillows, enjoying the feeling of sinking into something so gently. Her hands pulled the comforter around her and now she knew why they called it that. The heaviness of it warmed her up and she fell asleep. She dreamt off her soldier, that he was in her arms and she was in his, but she knew it was all in her head. He was somewhere else far away and all she could do was hope and pray for his safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I am sorry, I have no idea how to hack or encrypt anything. If you have any suggestions, hmu.. 
> 
> Thank you for reading !


	13. Temulentia 13.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 13 ! 
> 
> So, I've decided that this story will take place during the winter soldier. If you find anything in the story that suggests otherwise, just let me know and I'll fix it. I have also decided to completely ignore the part about Steve having his own apartment and the weird half assed romance between him and Sharon. In the movies it just seemed kind of rushed and out of place to me. 
> 
> Love you !

___ woke very refreshed and prepared for the rest of the day. Remembering yesterday, she hoped that the woman wouldn't be there. Who was she kidding ? Of course she would be there. Natasha lived here. She decided to apologize for not warning Natasha of the effect she had on people. It was the right thing to do. 

She sat at the vanity with more mirrors to look into, smiling at herself as she brushed through her hair. She had never felt so revealed. The shorts she wore did not go as low as her garment and neither did the sweater like sleeves compare to the short sleeves of the shirt she wore now. Hearing a knock at her door, her fingers twirled around the door handle and pulled it open showing Steve. He smiled and asked her to breakfast and she agreed and smiled as well, following him to a small kitchen with a few other people. She felt nervous around the new people, having never been in the presence of so many at once before.  
Besides the guards, but they didn't count. She slid behind Steve shyly. Before she could fully hide behind him, he gently nudged her forward by her back. The people at the counter by the kitchen quieted down slightly from the conversation they held earlier. There were two men she didn't know and Natasha. 

One of the men was blond, but his hair was darker than Steve's and the other had brown hair, sharing the same tired eyes as Dr.Paskiewicz. Natasha was there and had focused her gaze on her and __ immediately turned her attention to the men again. 

“Capsicle ! Morning, usually we don't-” the man with the tired eyes began but stopped as he made eye contact with her. “Ooh ! Cap has a lady friend ! Didn't think you were up to it, but it seems like I was wrong !” The man said and the man with blond hair replied. 

“Which means you owe me 20 bucks !” They began to argue about an apparent bet they had made when Steve interrupted. 

“She is not a ‘lady friend’.” He said, exasperated with their arguing already. 

“I’m not your friend ?” She questioned, a little dejected at the thought of him not seeing her as a friend. The look on her face could break hearts. Nervously, he clarified quickly, stumbling over some of his words. 

“No ! I mean, yes, of course you're a friend. That's just not what he meant.” He pulled out a chair next to the man with blond hair and he turned to greet her, choosing to ignore Steve correcting the thoughts of the man who kept making fun of Steve's embarrassment. 

“Well, I’m Clint, Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, you can just call me Clint. You ?” She told him her name in a quiet tone and he looked slightly confused before drawing in closer. She said it again in his ear and he repeated it. She nodded and smiled. “You hungry ?” He asked and she nodded as he served her some of the breakfast that he made. She thanked him and he told her it was nothing before she was quickly drawn back to the conversation with Steve and the two men. 

“Well, if she's not a lady friend then who is she ?” ___ was about to answer when Natasha spoke first. 

“Her name is Temulentia.” She said in a nonchalant but prominent voice as she ate a forkful of her breakfast. The man with tired eyes came to look at her as she nodded her head in agreement. He began to introduce himself. 

“I'm Tony Stark and I think that you are absolutely lovely. Cap probably couldn't even convince you to come back to his place anyway.” He smirked before turning quickly to gauge Steve's reaction as he slapped his hand to his forehead in annoyance. He laughed at Steve's reaction before she responded. 

“I’m actually the one who asked if I could come back with him.” Clint laughed at the comeback and Natasha quietly chuckled. Tony snorted and winked at her before getting up. 

“Well, I am back to the lab. Brucie said he needs some energy.” He said, picking up a granola bar, tossing it from one hand to the other. Everyone said goodbye to him as he exited.

She had finished half of her breakfast and noticed that Clint and Steve were already conversing. She looked to Natasha. She tapped on her shoulder and the woman turned in her reaction. 

“I would just like to apologize for yesterday, for not telling you earlier of my abilities. I should've told you first.” she looked down at her hands and Natasha looked a little surprised at her apology. 

“If anything I should be apologizing, I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. It was.. Uncalled for.” She apologized. 

“It's fine, I understood your intentions, you meant no harm.” __ smiled. Natasha and __ talked for a while about how it would be nice to have another woman around,(as there weren't many) and of things that __ should know around the place and which places to avoid going to. 

“And try to avoid going into that god forsaken lab, unless you appreciate somehow getting your eyebrows singed off.” 

“Has that ever happened to you ?” 

“No but it's happened to Tony when he was working on something and honestly it was the best thing I've ever seen.” They both laughed, imagining or remembering Tony with no eyebrows. 

 

When breakfast was over Steve and ___ boarded an elevator and he began to take her around to all of the rooms and sections of the building that she was allowed to be in. There was a gym which he said was for training and common rooms for socializing and watching television or what not. Steve also said there was a floor all for the lab that Tony and a man named Bruce worked in. 

Secretly, __ was excited to see what the lab contained. If it were anything like the rest of the building it would be much more advanced than the small lab Dr. Paskiewicz used for his experiments. He was explaining Tony and Bruce's bizarre lab hours and experiments before they entered the lab. The inside of the lab was messy, files and handwritten notes strew about the work stations. A man with glasses and tired eyes like Tonys sat at a stool, bent over a notepad, scrawling notes in chicken scratch handwriting. Typical. 

“Hey Tony ? Can you hand me the points for the statistics page ? I gotta graph ‘em on the… Hey, what's that smell ?” He stated, looking up at Tony and then looking to the source of the smell. 

“I promise it wasn't me this time.” Tony mumbled as he too looked at the entrance of the lab. 

“Oh, It’s probs Caps new ‘lady friend’,” Tony said, nodding to the door, his eyebrows raising up and down in a suggestive manner. Steve rolled his eyes. 

“I came down to introduce her to Bruce who never shows up to breakfast.” Steve said, nudging her forward. 

“If that's the case, I’m Bruce Banner, and I live here, oh god, I’m sorry, that was horrible.” she giggled at his embarrassment. 

“My name is Temulentia, and I think I live here too.” She smiled. He stuck out his hand for her to shake, and she shook it. A jolt of pleasure flowed up his veins, stumbling back only slightly for her to notice. She gasped and withdrew her hand. “I apologize, I completely forgot about that.” She said, rubbing her hand against her arm. 

“It’s fine, really, I just wasn't expecting it.” he explained. Tony who was discussing something with Steve turned to join the conversation. 

“Expecting what ?” He inquired and Bruce told him that she was most likely enhanced. 

“Looks like we'll be having some fun with testing today !” Tony whooped. “I’ll start getting the vials ready !” He declared, already moving across the large room, opening a metal drawer that most likely contained the materials he was looking for. 

“Don’t be rude, she just got here and you’re already trying to stick needles in her like acupuncture !” Bruce scolded, taking the vials out of Tony's hands. 

“No, I can do some blood tests, I've done them before to see what blood type I am for a genetics lab.” She said and immediately Tony had her on a stool, drawing blood from her veins to sample. Bruce looked a little disappointed and shook his head. 

“What ?” He only rolled his eyes and she grinned, watching them bicker. Bruce set a slide under the stage clips of the very expensive looking compound microscope. She eyed it enviously. She had used one, but there was no way Hydra was gonna let someone like her use a good quality one for studying. Dr.Paskiewicz said that the SEM, high quality compound, and confocal microscopes were all on the 6th floor, only accessible to level 4 scientists. They discussed the nature of her cells and the altercations that the serum applied to her made. 

“May I ? I’ve never used such an expensive compound microscope before.” they let her take a look, surprised at her knowledge of the microscope.“This is much better than the one I used.” she said, looking into the microscope. She adjusted the coarse adjustment knob and peered a little closer. From across the room,Steve looked a little nonplussed at her discussion with the two scientists as they discussed her blood sample results. “Yes, I agree, it differs from the average O type, but I don't think a blood sample is the right medium for observing what the serum amplifies in me. I can provide a cheek swab, it might be better but I’m not sure by how much.” She said, her attention pulled back to Steve, who leaned against the wall by the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Steve has to show me the rest of the building.” She said, inching closer to the door. 

“No way, you just got here ! I thought we were having so much fun.” Tony whined and both Steve and Bruce rolled their eyes. 

“I was, but if I stay in here uninterrupted, I’ll spend all day in here.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Let’s go, I have more questions to ask of you. Although Natasha told me you don't know much more than me.” She said. “Bruce, it was a pleasure meeting you.” She waved. 

“You too.” They exchanged a smile before she and Steve exited the lab. 

 

As they walked down the hallway Steve cleared his throat. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are your powers ?” She looked at him and thought about it. 

“I actually don’t know much about them myself. I know that I can bring someone into unconsciousness if they are just normal humans and my touch is pleasurable, unbearably so to the average human. The serum applied to me was created to make my body more suitable for childbirth, by widening my hips and increasing the amounts of pheremones my body produces. But any side effects were not listed on the documents, nor any of the files I read containing information about me.” she explained. He nodded and stopped in the kitchen on their floor, which they returned to after he showed her all of the floors she could be on. He pulled out a water bottle. 

“You want anything ?” she shook her head and brushed her fingers on the soft couch in the lounge area by the kitchen. 

“You're welcome to sit you know, like you said, you live here.” He chuckled at her hesitant behavior. Slowly, she sat down, sitting in the corner of the couch and he sat on the opposite couch across the small table in the middle. 

“You said, that they umm, made you to have kids with the Winter Soldier. Who is that ? Did you ever meet him ?” He inquired. Her eyes widened in realization. He didn't know. He didn't know who the soldier was. She did very little research on the soldiers past and usually focused on what they had planned for him, discussions and transcripts of meetings of the superiors. __ knew that the man, James, fought in World War II and used to be close friends with the Captain. 

“Yes, I’ve met him. We were kept in the same room in the base.” He looked even more curious now and she regretted saying anything about him. To change the subject quickly, she remembered a file she read for protocols on terminations. “You need to be very careful Steve.” She whispered and leaned closer to the table. “I think you know that Hydra has never liked you, and will never like you. Even more so since Nicholas Fury had you melted out of that ice cube they found you in. If you know too much, if they deem you a threat, they will send him after you. He has never failed a mission before and he has a serum very similar to yours. I don’t want you to be targeted Steve. Just be cautious.” she said, before leaning back. He looked at her with an expression that conveyed that he understood and then confusion spread all over again. 

"Wait, Hydra ?" He asked, his brow furrowed in his dubiety. "They're gone, I- I- tried so hard to-" He stuttered and __ frowned at his tone. 

"I explained that Hydra killed my mother and father, and no, they have not parished, though they have seemed to in your name. They thrive in the dark, Steve. Your work is not finished." She corrected. 

The smell from her skin was wafting into the air and around the room, falling into him. He felt himself relax more, his muscles becoming looser, less stiff. 

“Look, tomorrow, there's gonna be a conference meeting, they're gonna probably interrogate you. About, y'know, all a this... And why am I telling you this ?” He stopped himself, realizing he revealed too much information. Which he would usually never do. “Did you do that ?” Steve accused, and she shrank into the couch. 

“I don't know, but I need you to listen to me. I promise you that what you just said won’t change any of the answers I give tomorrow. I don't want to go back to Hydra. Promise me you won't send me back !” She said, and the tears in her eyes sent shivers down his spine, so grightened was she at the notion of returning to the cold room and the cold walls, or even new cold walls under a different name. He felt ashamed that he scared her like this for information he revealed. It wasn’t like he found her snooping around. 

“Alright, I won’t- I won’t send you back.” He sighed. “It’s all my fault, doll. It’s got nothin’ to do with you.” He murmured, feeling a little strange. 

“Oh god, I think I made it worse.” She said, easing him down to sit on the couch. She handed him his water. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean ta make you cry.” He started to feel drunk, like he was downing an entire liquor store. He tugged her down to sit next to him. He laughed a little, his voice a little wobbly. “You feel real nice, real soft.” His Brooklyn accent was thick with his inebriation. His fingers creeped up her arm. She brought her arm away from him. 

“You’ll make it worse, Steve. Just- just- I don't know what to do !” Suddenly a british voice cut in from the ceiling, summoned by her panic. 

“Ma’am, I suggest you apply ice to his wrists. His temperature is rising rapidly.” She frantically looked around the room but saw no one. 

“Who are you ?” 

“I am Jarvis, An AI system created by Mr.Stark to assist him.” She heeded his advice and removed an ice pack from the freezer. 

“What kind of name is Jarvis ?” she questioned aloud and he answered. 

“Jarvis is an acronym for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.” The disembodied voice said politely. 

“I am frankly not surprised.” She scoffed and helped Steve hold the ice pack between his wrist, where most of the heat in his blood would be accessible. “I need you to put the ice in between your wrists, can you do that for me ?” she asked in a sweet voice to convince him. 

“Yeah, Yeah, anythin’ for you, sweets.” He smiled and she smiled back, although a little apprehensive. She knew what happened the first time her soldier took in her scent. She did her best to avoid touching him, but he kept dropping the ice pack from his wrists. Probably on purpose so she could touch his wrists gently again. 

“Steve, I told you to hold it.” she said, placing his wrists back on the ice pack. He chuckled lowly, the deepness of the sound reminding her of her soldier. 

“I’m sorry,” He slurred. “Jus’ like it when you touch me like that.” He looked into her eyes. She sighed. 

“If you keep dropping it, I won’t touch you ever again.” 

“Never ?” 

“Never.” She smiled as he hurriedly placed the pack between his wrists again. 

Eventually, he talked himself to sleep after his temperature lowered, mumbling about her smelling like candy and how he never got much candy when he was a kid. She rested his head in her lap, petting his hair gently as he slept, his long legs hung off the side of the small couch. The only thing making the couch seem small was him. 

 

It was late into the afternoon when he woke up, the sunlight had already faded into the horizon, no longer illuminating the almost dark room. He lifted himself from the couch, rubbing his face and turned to see her, sleeping, against the couch. Their floor was quiet besides the soft breathing coming from __. He couldn’t really remember what happened, but forgot about trying to remember when she began to wake up. She stretched a little and rubbed at her eyes. 

“Oh Steve, you're awake ! Are you OK ?” She asked. She placed her hand carefully onto his forehead. “Your temperature has gone down, thankfully.” She said, setting her sock covered feet onto the floor, walking to the kitchen so she could put the ice pack into the freezer. 

“What happened ? All I can remember is sitting on the couch and… I don't know,” he tried to recall but she came to sit next to him again so she could clarify. 

“I'm sorry, I - I , my scent drove you to tell me something you probably shouldn't have. But I promised you that it would not effect anything and, I was a mess, I apologize. Anyway, I'm not quite sure of the nature of my scent, but your temperature began to rise and then you fell asleep and then I fell asleep and here.. We .. Are.” She ended quietly, unable to decipher the look he was giving her. 

“What did I tell you ?” 

“You told me about the meeting tomorrow.” He nodded and leaned back from her a little. 

“Anyways, I need you to come explain something for me, there's some plastic wire in my room and I'm not quite sure what it's for. I tried reading the label in all of the languages, but it still doesn't make sense.” 

“You mean floss ?” 

“Floss ? What is floss ? What is it for ?” He did his best explaining it and she just ended up laughing at his very vague explanation. They talked for a while until it was time for dinner. Dinner was fun for the most part. Considering she spent most of it talking to Tony and Bruce as they vivaciously discussed the findings of the cheek swab. Her saliva carried components in it that would make it become addictive to someone who tasted it. They discussed the compounds it was made of. They told her that it mimicked the effect of a narcotic, or an alcoholic substance, making someone who comes in contact with her inebriated by said contact or proximity. She stared down at her hands. Had she really been some sort of drug to her soldier ? Was he just addicted to her ? 

When dinner was over, she and Steve walked silently back to her room. They stopped at her door, and she blinked slowly, becoming sleepy by thinking of her comfortable bed. She smiled at him, but it did not reach her eyes. She told him good night, but he stopped her from retreating into her room. 

“What's wrong ?” He asked, concern evident in his voice. She sighed. 

“I'll tell you later, I just need some sleep.” He reluctantly nodded as a sign of his acceptance and he bid her goodnight before returning to his own room. She entered her own room and quietly closed the door behind her. He would find out soon enough of the soldier's true identity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading !
> 
> Criticism is welcome !


	14. Temulentia 14.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 14 !
> 
> Ok, I need some help, I am thinking about making this story a love triangle thing. Between you, steve and bucky. Or should I just leave it at bucky ? Tell me what you guys think so I can start making plans now !
> 
> Criticism is welcome and let me know of you like it !

__ sat in a nice plush spinning chair in a conference room with big windows that let the sun inside of the just as nicely furnished room. The table in the center was so shiny that the light from the windows overlooking the capital glared off of it. She sat all the way across from the man she knew as Nicholas Fury, the director of SHIELD, an american security organization. She knew that Hydra had some ties within the organization itself, but right now she was thinking about how to word her story to make it sound convincing. Not that it wasn't true. She just had to make it sound like the most factual piece of information anyone would ever hear. 

He glared at her from across the table with one eye, the other covered by an eyepatch made of black leather. He wore a long black coat over what she also concluded was probably black clothing. He had a very serious disposition about him, he didn't look like the type of person to joke around. Steve and Tony sat or stood nearby. Tony had relaxed into a chair already and thrown his feet onto another, while Steve watched from his place leaning against the wall. She was glad that there was no one else to watch her potentially humiliate herself, although Tony wasn't a good person to humiliate yourself in front of either. 

Mr. Fury adjusted his arms on the table to be steepled under his chin, this time his glare softened a little, so she would be more prone to answer instead of clamming her mouth shut in fear. 

“So, I hear that the captain himself saved you from a Hydra base on an island somewhere in Canada, is that right ?” He asked and she swallowed down her saliva to wet her painfully dry throat. 

“Yes, Mr.Fury, that is correct.” She answered formally, a polite tone making her words more respectful sounding. He nodded and sat back in his chair. 

"And you are aware that Hydra no longer exists ?" He asked, hoping to catch her in a lie. 

"Mr. Fury, as much as I would like that to be the truth, Hydra does exist, in fact, in the shadows of your own organization." She said calmly, taking all the shakyness and settling deep inside. He merely looked at her, one eye scanning her face. Then he nodded. 

“Hydra, huh ?" She nodded and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Faith and Evidence is the only thing seperating religion and science... And I don't have much faith in you. So you better hope I find some science on your side... I don't take too kindly to liars." She gulped but did not break her stiff expression. "I read the message that you sent. It looked like a big fat trap. Albeit, well worded. Just sappy enough to pull on his heart strings and just professional enough to sound real. It almost fooled me to tell you the truth. I was about to look into it, until I received word that he already went over there and picked you up, without any permission, or evaluation.” Steve stood up a little straighter with the scolding he was getting from Mr. Fury. 

“With all due respect, Sir, I just couldn't leave her there. If we waited any longer and they had found the message, they would have most likely had her transported to another base.” He defended. 

”Mr.Fury, it seems as though Steve has violated some sort of procedure, and I know that was not ok, but what is done is done. You can do all of the research you want. You can do all of the tests, read all of the documents, but it won't change the fact that I am not going back there. I apologize if Steve's actions have inconvenienced or compromised anything. As a sort of recompense, I managed to copy some key files to a drive. You can do what you will with them.” she said and Steve removed the drive from his pocket and placed it onto the table. 

“I had Natasha take a look at it with her and she said it’s all there. She compared some of the files to the documents we have and all of them matched.” Mr.Fury looked a little dismayed. He hoped that he would have been able to scold someone for a little longer. 

“I was wondering if it was possible to find someone, my mentor, he made more than half of my escape possible.” she said, thinking of her only father figure, Dr.Paskiewicz. Was he even still alive ? Did they credit him for her escape ? Did they credit her soldier ? She felt overwrought with thoughts of where they might be or what happened to them. 

“And who is this mentor ? You are extremely lucky that you managed to drag Steve into this. Much less drag someone else from some other base in what's probably another country.” He shook his head, in disbelief of her request. An almost sickly sweet smell fell over the room. It was like someone was baking a hundred cakes in the small conference room, the air heavy with her scent. 

“I understand,” she began, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to relax herself. When she reopened them, there was something electric in her eyes, lurking in the darkness of her dilated pupils. 

“I only ask that you keep an eye out for any potential distress calls from strange locations and let me know about them. That's not too much to ask, is it ?” She mumbled, leaning her elbows on the table, her scent coming that much closer. Tony removed his legs from the other chair and sank lower in his chair, something in the air weighing him down. Like a good drink or six, straight to the head. 

“We- we can have that arranged. We'll let you know.” Mr.Fury said, but seemed unsure of himself and what he was saying. Tony sank lower into his chair, mumbling about something, and Steve was inching closer ever so slowly. 

“Of course, thank you Mr.Fury.” she said, and the smell began to dissipate over the next minute. 

“In order for you to stick around, we need to do some more tests really find out about the serum, Temulentum,” he said, clearing his throat, not really understanding why he was more partial to her ideas suddenly.. She hummed in agreement. Soon, the meeting was over and it was mostly just Mr.Fury yelling at Steve and him telling her that she better not be lying, And Tony watching everything from the sidelines, occasionally making a bad pun. They drove back to New York and within the four hours, ___ enjoyed watching the view. The outside world was so full of people, languages, culture, things, food, cars, and trees. Though she liked to discover things slowly sometimes, her mind moved from one thing to the next, soaking it all in. 

When she came back to the tower, Steve went to his own room to get ready for the gym and Tony immediately left to his work, saying he had suit repairs. ___ saw Natasha on the couch, alone in the main common room reading a book. She greeted Natasha and she smiled, dog earing a page before setting the book on the other side of the couch. 

“Natasha, I need your help, I need… Things. Clothes and the like.” ___ said, plopping on the couch, next to her. A mischievous look came across Natashas face. 

“I don't think Tony would mind funding a shopping spree, he does it for himself, all the time.” Natasha said, picking up the book. “Come with me. You can borrow some of my clothes, and then we’ll shop ‘til we drop.” She said, smirking and dragging __ to her room. 

Natasha opened the door to her room, and it was very neat, no clothes on the floor and makeup sorted on the vanity as well as perfumes and a blonde wig. She looked at it strangely before her attention was brought to Natasha opening her closet and placing her hands on her hips. “I’m a bit taller than you, so I don’t think jeans would do, but I’d like a skirt on you.” Natasha said, removing a few articles of clothing from the closet and placing them on the bed. A soft red skirt lay among the items and she ran her fingers along the velvet of the skirt. 

“I like this one, may I ?” she asked, already standing to try it on. 

“Yeah, It’ll look really good with this sweater I’ve got.” She said, digging further into the large closet. __ nodded and dropped her shorts and stepped into the skirt, feeling the material bounce around her thighs. Natasha revealed a black sweater with v line that dipped wide around her shoulders, revealing no further than her collar bones. She changed into the sweater as well. The sleeves bunched at her wrists and Natasha stepped forward and adjusted the appearance of both items. She stepped back to admire hers and __’s choices. 

“Loving the colors. We can work on accessories for now. I’ll deal with all of this hair later.” Natasha approached a rack in her closet with shoes. “It looks like we might be the same shoe size, come look and tell me which ones you like.” __ stepped in to look at the shoes and felt a little overwhelmed by all of the choices. The height of the high heels seemed to be almost too high. Why would anyone need to be a few inches taller ? Maybe in a dire situation, you must appear a few inches taller or face death and do it in style with more straps than necessary ? 

She decided on the flattest shoes possible, she felt if she tried to walk on those heels, she’d probably break her ankles. Natasha suggested some sheer black stockings and she nodded, not quite sure if they were for style or if people just wanted to be modest. 

When she finished with that, Natasha made her sit on the bed so she could do her hair. __ never really cared for her hair, she only seemed to pay attention to her hair when her soldier would toy with the locks of it, talking with that voice that she would never forget the sound of. Then Natasha brought her to the full body mirror. She had put a red bow in her hair to match all of the colors. 

“What do you think ?” she asked and the red haired woman smiled. 

“You look fantastic. You’ll turn so many heads. Now it’s my turn”. In thirty minutes, Natasha had gotten dressed, done her hair and applied some eye make-up. 

“To look the part of a modern girl, you’ll need this.” She said, placing a black decorative bag in __ hands. 

“What is this for ?” __ questioned. 

“To hide all of your things and secrets, of course. I put plenty of things in mine. I have too many things to carry to use my pockets so we use these to carry all of the things we can’t.” __ furrowed her brows. 

“Won’t any bag do the same ?” 

“Maybe, but that’s not very stylish” Natasha smirked her red lips. 

 

They stepped out into the common room, where Steve stood in the kitchen, drinking water. 

“Steve, Temulentia and I are going shopping, we’ll be back by… When we’re finished.” Natasha shrugged and lead __ by the hand to the elevator. 

“Afternoon, Steve.” __ greeted with a smile, standing with Natasha by the elevator. She smiled as did the woman when she saw Steve's pupils widen. He thought that __ looked very elegant when she wasn't wearing a thick off white sweater to her thighs. Or pajamas. Her shiny color hair had a little red bow tied like a hair band in it and a red velvet skirt to match, the stockings reminiscent of the women he had seen many years ago. He wondered of she wore the garter belts like they had. The neckline of the just as soft looking sweater dipping, revealing clear collar bones, drawing attention to the column of her neck. 

“Isn’t she just a doll ?” Natasha interrupted his thoughts, placing her hands on __ shoulders. Steve choked on what seemed to be his own spit. He cleared his throat frantically. Natasha chuckled at his reaction. 

“Well ?” 

“Yeah… a- a real doll.” __ smiled at the compliment and Natasha lead her into the elevator. Steve watched them leave and sighed when the doors of the elevator finally closed. “God, that was embarrassing.” He mumbled, going back to the gym.

Natasha grabbed the keys from her ‘purse’ as she called it, and pressed a button, which triggered a sleek black sports car to beep and light up. __ stepped into the fairly low car and sat in the black smooth leather seats. Natasha started the car and backed up before promptly zooming out of the garage. ___ gripped the seat she sat on in fear. Why was she going so fast ? There was no hurry. She tried to relax as she got a grip on herself. This was normal. This is how you're supposed to drive a car. She sighed and when they exited the private parking garage, ___ quickly became distracted by the tall buildings and the people walking in and around them, the reflections of lights and the sun making things seem that much brighter. 

Soon, they reached a part of the city that seemed to have more boutiques and stores than the places they had previously driven past. Natasha parked in another garage and placed sunglasses over her eyes. Natasha pulled another pair from the glove box. 

“Here, it's bright outside.” They stepped out of the car and walked out onto the pathway. People bustled about, talking into cell phones and talking to friends. Many carried bags from the stores all around. She and Natasha looked inside all of the stores, walking about and analyzing clothes and trying them on. __ liked the sweaters the most. They were warm and soft and a bit poofy. Natasha really did most of the shopping, mostly because she knew more about all of these articles than __. She seemed to already know what would look good and occasionally asked for preferences. Natasha selected coats and dresses, skirts and blouses, sweaters and lounge wear, and even some clothes for exercising. She merely watched as the red haired woman took the items from tables and racks and purchased them at the cash registers of the apparently ‘high end’ stores. 

Nearly two hours later, their hands were full of the ribbons and cloth of the handles of the bags that the stores had given them. They walked back to the car, discussing their day. 

“Did you have fun on your first shopping spree ?” Nat inquired, placing the bags inside of the car they arrived in. __ smiled. 

“I really enjoyed it, thank you for all of this.” 

“No problem, glad to give a girl her first shopping experience. Good thing you like it, because this will definitely not be the last time.” She said, walking around to the drivers side. She unlocked the doors and both of them sat in the car. 

“Lunch ?” 

“Of course, I’m starving.” They both grinned and drove off to go to a nearby café.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading 
> 
> Love you !


	15. Temulentia 15.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Chapter 15 !
> 
> There is a bit of Winter Soldier stalking in this one, so if you don't really like that, you can always come back for chapter 16. 
> 
> Critisism is welcome, so let me know what you think.
> 
> Love you !

3 months had passed from the tuesday since Nat and __ went shopping. With every passing day, She began to grow closer to the ‘avengers’ as they were called and became close friends with all of them, sharing a special relationship with them all. They taught her things of the modern day and Tony even gave her one of his newest cell phone designs, his number listed at the top of the contacts page with a kissy face next to it. “Call me !” He said with a wink when he first gave it to her. Steve told her stories about his past, when he was smaller, unaffected by the serum. Stories of his friend, Bucky and a woman named Peggy, World War II and the howling commandos, late into the night as she listened intently, her legs draped over his thighs. He played the music that he used to listen to, the soft smooth sound was crinkly from the age of the songs, but she didn’t mind, still liking the sound of the singers and band instruments. When she was around, he seemed looser, and she wondered if he was just comfortable around her or if he was intoxicated by her. She tried not to think about it and how could she when he smiled at her like that ? 

Natasha and __ became very close, they were always within arms distance of each other when they were in the same room, like magnets. Natashas protective tendencies telling her to protect the small girl who could easily be overpowered. They shopped and drank coffee together and Natasha even taught __ how to evade oncoming attacks like a professional. Clint and Tony helped her with the modern era, helping her with the workings of certain social situations and h̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶b̶o̶y̶ ̶p̶h̶i̶l̶a̶n̶t̶h̶r̶o̶p̶i̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶i̶r̶d̶ telling her the meanings of good and bad slang words. They often suggested she watch some movies and T.V. shows that he insisted ‘must be seen’. Tony even shared a playlist of music with her on her phone of ‘iconic’ music. Bruce was always in control and was a good listener. He never offered bad advice and was very considerate of others feelings and opinions, usually before his own. She was proud to see that they were all superbly talented, she felt kind of honored to be friends with them. Clint had impeccable aim with almost any weapon, but his aim with his bow was excellent. Tony was called Iron Man by many, due to his amazing suits that he created himself. She found it winsome when he went on a tangent about the mechanics when she entered his lab and saw her eyes looking upon the wiring. Though he exhibited bad habits from time to time, she loved him all the same. Steve was unbelievably strong and fast and with his shield, he was unstoppable. He fought fairly and for justice, his good-natured and righteous personality shining through almost everything he did. Bruce was intelligent and knowledgeable, but according to Natasha, could turn into some sort of beast brought on by gamma rays if he became angry, which really didn't make sense. Gamma rays should have killed him, but she didn’t want a headache wondering about how he survived. Natasha was incredible in her own way, her combat and hand to hand skills could bring anyone to their knees. Her abilities seemed to be unending with how many things she was proficient in. 

All of them loved her presence in the tower. She was kind hearted and genuinely interested in them as people, admiring all of their traits and appreciating them whether liked or disliked by other people. She was glad that they accepted her too even though she used to do involuntary work for Hydra. __ had a delightful personality and smelled like sweet things, and when she touched you, you felt happier if she was relaxed. Her smile and laugh was bright and seemed to lift their spirits.

Last week, Tony and Clint had left the tower. Tony had gone on a 3 week long trip to Los Angeles on some sort of business meeting and Clint had gone on leave for a month, not really disclosing any information and she did not push him to. In 3 days, Bruce would have to go work on a project somewhere in Indonesia to help a research team. She would know because he spent a lot of time explaining the project to her and its details. After that it would only be Nat, Steve, and __ in the tower. If one thing was for sure, things were quieter without the antics of both Clint and Tony. 

She enjoyed the softness of the lavender sweater she had gotten and the plaid throw she stole from the lounge on Tony's floor. She heard him complain about his burberry throw, but she dare not mention that she was the one who had taken it. Now, she sat on the couch on the floor she and Steve shared. A book was in her hands, the one Natasha was reading that she lent to her. It was Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak and it was in russian. 

Natasha was markedly surprised that __ spoke russian and she explained that she spoke many more languages than just russian. Though most were european, she did speak a few asian languages and american english. Dr.Paskiewicz told her that communication is tremendously important and is a good skill to have and use. So weeks were spent on learning new languages when she was with him. The asian languages were the hardest to learn, often struggling with stroke order or enunciation. But __ favorite was french. It sounded nice and smooth and she found that it was easier to speak, like it was second nature to pronounce words and syllables in french. She thought that maybe she made the sounds like muscle memory from her past life. 

She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, the corners draping over her arms. Her legs were drawn up from the floor, her back nestled into the corner of the couch, fuzzy socks warming her feet. The lights were turned down and the windows along the wall darkened with the help of Jarvis, who was very helpful in explaining things. She was in the tower alone now, Bruce having left already and Steve and Nat were probably on their way back from D.C. as they said, meeting with Mr.Fury and then leaving for a mission. They were not allowed to disclose most of the information, but Nat told her that it had something to do with SHIELD. She told them goodbye and once they were gone, she felt the quietness and the solitude begin to set in. The lack of voices or music was chilling and the only thing she could think to do was sleep. 

Only now did she sit in the lounge, reading. She turned the page and read through the next paragraph before looking up and feeling the tingle of eyes on her. At first, she thought of Clint in the vents, but Clint was not here. In fact no one was allowed up here from the lower levels. Jarvis would not let anyone without clearance onto these levels. She shrugged, the impossibleness of the feeling making it leave, putting on some calm music and grabbing some crackers to distract herself. 

 

Meanwhile, the blue eyed man watched from behind binoculars that could omit the darkness of the windows. He felt strange watching her, but he had orders. She was as beautiful as always, a calm expression on her face as she nibbled on a cracker, flicking through pages of a book. Her eyes wandered over the words and she smiled, perhaps at a joke or a play on words. The warmth of her smile felt like the sun and the sky, so free yet he was captured. Her hair swept behind her and the color of the sweater looked nice on her skin. Her legs draped over the couch, covered by socks and she turned another page. Her eyes looked up and sort of at him and the feeling of her skin flashed through his head, the memories of the smell tugging him into a fantasy. 

He shook his head before he drowned in them but did not lower the binoculars. Suddenly, the elevator doors behind her opened, a number flashing at the top. 53. A man with blond hair walked inside, dressed in some sort of uniform. He could not call the man smaller nor larger than himself. He smiled at his girl and he grinded his teeth, a lava like heat washing over him, detesting the way the man looked at her. The red haired woman walked in as well, sitting down next to her and smiling at her as well. They said something to each other and he wished he could hear what she said, to hear her voice again. The red haired woman nodded and waved to the girl before boarding the elevator again. 

He suddenly wished she had stayed as he watched the man sit too close to her and he clenched his jaw to see her smile upon that man. His metal fingers tightened so hard around the device he was holding, it cracked slightly. They talked and eventually they were talking to the point where she set her book down and she draped her legs across the man's lap. The man bent his elbows over his knees, her ankles under his upper arms, holding his head with his hands. It was probably a trick so she wouldn’t be able to escape from him, the greedy bastard. His fingers finally crushed the binoculars as she laughed at something the man said that he wondered was even funny. He threw the device away, disgusted by the sight of the man smiling at her like- like- he was … captured by her too.

But of course! How could he have been so stupid ? Of course she was going to attract some flies ! She was his honey after all. His dessert, his sugar in this world of things that left bitter tastes in his mouth. She was the only woman he would ever find truly exquisite in so many ways. She was perfection that was delivered to him by the hands of the heavens, a treasure of only the finest quality. He would surely be without meaning, without drive to see her in the arms of someone else, touching someone else, feeling someone else, loving someone else. He only hoped that when he returned to her, she was still satisfied with his love and his affections, his heart speeding up at the thought of her pushing the man away and embracing him in front of him, so he could glare triumphantly at him. 

He stood and looked in her direction again, though he could see nothing. He made a promise and it was a sin of the highest punishment to let her down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to tell me what you think about the love triangle concept, I would be happy to read what you think about it. The note about it is at the beginning of Chapter 14, in case you didn't see that note. 
> 
> Thanks for reading !


	16. Temulentia 16.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Chapter 16 !
> 
> Thank you to everyone who submitted a comment regarding the love trianlge ! I really aprreciated your feedback. I have decided that I will leave this at Bucky, but I will include some questionable moments between Steve and Temulentia during the events of Ultron and Civil War (and after that), some more stalker and jealous Bucky, and some sad and confused Steve. YAY ! I will write more stories, so be prepared to see more stuff from me after Temulentia. 
> 
> Criticism and feedback is always welcome 
> 
> Love you !

Once Steve had told you what he was allowed to about the meeting, he revealed that he would be staying in Washington with Nat for a few days and that she would be alone for that time. __ said it was okay, but the look in her eyes said different. He smiled sympathetically, and patted her knee, the soft waves of subtle pleasure going up his fingertips. 

“We’ll be back in a few days, And we’ll be back right here.” She smiled and blinked, looking up at him through her lashes. 

“Promise ?” He smiled at her expression, inhaling the fragrance which seemed to become less outrightly noticeable. 

“Promise.” he said, sighing at the feeling of her aroma swirling about him.

She bid them goodbye as they left again, in another day, they would be going on a mission. She could only hope they would stay safe and not do anything reckless. With them gone, she sat on the kitchen counter, giggling as Steve was not here to tell her to sit in a chair. She sat with a spoon in her mouth covered in a certain chocolate-hazelnut spread as she ate it straight out if the jar. She felt a light freedom, no one could tell her to use a cup, or put her dish in the machine. She giggled again at the childish freedom of watching cartoons ‘til midnight and Steve not coming out to ask why she was still awake. __ jumped off the counter and asked Jarvis to put on a movie from Tony's selection of must see films. She sat widthwise on the lounge chair with a bag of snacks from the kitchen, fully prepared to eat them all and watch movies until tomorrow afternoon. 

The man with blue eyes waited patiently behind his assault rifle, watching the blond man converse with his target. He contemplated shooting them both, but that was too simple, and he had never been one for mercy killing. Plus, he had orders. His fingers tightened against the trigger and he shut one eye to better focus on the wall that hid his target. Through the windows and the movements of the blond man, he was forced to calculate where best to shoot. His target was smart, especially having escaped him earlier. But he was the Winter Soldier, and the Winter Soldier never fails. The blond man said something and his target said something back. Finally, his metal fingers pulled the trigger, holes blown into the wall as 3 bullets are fired into the targets chest, collapsing form the seat he was sitting in. The man still standing drags him in another room. 

He stands, holstering his rifle before making his way from the scene and back to the getaway vehicle. He hears the blond man yell something and turns to see him running, definitely after him. Speeding up, he runs over a rooftop and is about to jump down when he turns to catch the circular object the man threw. He catches it in his metal hand and makes brief eye contact with the man. He looks familiar and he recognizes him as the man from the nightmare about falling off of the train. The thoughts are shattered as he throws the shield back and jumps from the building, knowing that his escape must be quick, disappearing from the man's line of sight. 

 

Steve pulled the plain baseball cap he wore lower over his eyes, walking through the white halls of the hospital. He stopped at the vending machine where he hid the flash drive Fury had given him right before his passed out behind a few packs of bubblegum only to find it missing. In the reflection of the glass of the vending machine, Natasha is chewing gum behind him, and he assumes that she has the drive. In his choler, Steve pushes her into an empty room of the hospital. 

“Where is it ?” He said, backing her into a wall. 

“Safe.” she replied nonchalantly, unafraid of his anger. 

“Do better !” 

“Where did you get it ?” She inquired.

“Why would I tell you ?” Natasha read his expression like words on paper, his bad lyng easy to spot. 

“Fury gave it to you, Why ?” 

“What’s on it ?” He already knew that she probably had gone through it. 

“I don’t know.” 

“Stop lying !” 

“I only act like I know everything, Rogers.” She responded. He eyed her suspiciously. 

“I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates, didn’t you ?” She shrugged slightly. 

“Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do you.” 

“I’m not gonna ask you again.”

“I know who killed Fury. Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists, the ones who do call him the Winter Soldier. He’s credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years.” Steve remembered the morning after Temulentia arrived at the tower. That afternoon, before he fell asleep, she told him of the man she knew, that she was created for. The Winter Soldier. 

“Sounds like a ghost story , but Temulentia has told me his name before. She said he’s never failed a mission and that she was afraid that they might make me a target. He was the one she was created for.” He muttered and Natasha looked taken aback that __ knew him. He was dangerous and volatile and should not be associated with someone as delicate and kind as __. 

“Created for ?” She questioned, worried about what he meant and what relationship she and the winter soldier shared. 

“Temulentia is the result of Project Temulentum. She was created to have children.. With the Winter Soldier. She said that she has met him before, but I don’t know about the… specifics of them.” 

“If she escaped from Hydra, they might be looking for her, Steve. We left her alone in the tower. Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran, somebody shot at my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff, I pulled us out but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot through me,” She said lifting her shirt to show a scar of the wound. 

“A soviet slug, no rifling.” She said to prove his brutality and as the killer of Nicholas Fury. They both thought of __ being kidnapped or worse, assassinated for her escape from the organization. 

“Going after him is a dead end. I know, I’ve tried.” she holds up the drive for Steve to see. 

“Like you said, he’s a ghost story.” She finished as Steve took the flash drive. 

“Well, let's find out.” Natasha pulled out her phone to get a status check on __ from Jarvis and was happy to know that she was asleep on the chair in the lounge, covered in cookie crumbs. 

 

The man with blue eyes, otherwise known as the asset, sat in the dark and regarded the man he knew as Alexander. He received orders from him sometimes and he was here to receive them now. He sat in the dark on a chair at a table, a handgun he was holding sat on the table. The voice of a woman flows out from somewhere near the door of the house. 

“I’m going to go, Mr.Pierce. You need anything before I leave ?” Alexander answered quickly to dismiss her. 

“No. Uhh.. it’s fine, Renata, you can go home.” She responded, saying goodnight. 

“Goodnight.” Finally the woman leaves, leaving them in silence before the man opened the refrigerator, removing milk and taking a glass. 

“Want some milk?” He didn't respond as he was only here to receive mission details. “The timetable has moved. Our window is limited. Two targets, level six.” He said as he poured himself a glass of the beverage. He picks it up and joins him at the table in the dark. “They already cost me Zola and Temulentia. I want confirmed death within ten hours.” Who was Temulentia ? Could it be the girl he knew ? She had escaped recently and she did get help from someone. Was it the targets ? He knew how she tasted, how she felt, how she sounded. But he did not know her name. Was it Temulentia ? Just then the woman from earlier walked into the room, setting her eyes on him, just for a moment. 

“Sorry Mr.Pierce, I.. I forgot my phone.” She stuttered, her eyes drifting to him, the man covered in shadows. Pierce turns around and looks at the woman. 

“Oh Renata, I wish you would have knocked.” He said before picking up the gun from the table, shooting her and she collapsed to the floor. He looked at the file and was glad to see a photo of the man with blond hair who had been smiling at his girl. 

 

“Oh my god, Pierce is gonna kill me !” Sitwell exclaims. 

“What then ?!” Steve said a little louder to intimidate the small man in the backseat of the car Sam was driving. 

“Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few millions at a time.” He revealed to the occupants of the vehicle. 

“Hydra doesn’t like leaks.” 

“So why don’t you try sticking a cork in it ?” Sam said, driving the vehicle along with traffic. 

“Insights launching in 16 hours, we’re cutting it a little bit close here.” Natasha pointed out. 

“I know, we’ll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly.” Steve said and Sitwell began to protest. Something heavy lands on the top of the car roof and the window is crushed under the force of the soldiers arm as he pulls out the man. He throws him into the oncoming traffic, effectively killing him. He begins to shoot at the targets inside of the car. Steve pulls the brake handle, making him drop from the top of the car and onto the road, digging his metal fingers into the cement. Another car from behind smashes into the back of their vehicle, Natasha just barely making it into the front seat with Steve. The car behind them shoves the car forward as the Soldier pulls out the steering wheel from the windshield. Sam curses at the intrusion, the control of the car ripped away from his hands. Natasha fires rounds at the soldier, but he jumps onto the car behind them. 

“Hang on !” Steve yells alerting both Natasha and Sam to make their way closer as he breaks the door from the car, sliding away from the car and onto the asphalt. Sam, Steve, and Natasha scatter, knowing that the soldier can’t go after them all at once. She shoots the goggles from his eyes, revealing them to the sun. He stood at the top of the bridge, overlooking the street below. A few Hydra agents came and he ordered them to find the man. He would leave him for later, save the best for last. For now, he would find the woman. He drops from the bridge and begins to look for her. Steve notices the soldier looking for Natasha. He hears a voice from behind a car which he assumes to be the target, carefully rolling a bomb in that direction. Natashas voice plays the recording of her calling for backup and telling of the civilians in danger. The bomb explodes and immediately, Natasha is on his back, attempting to neutralize him. She throws a small device on his metal arm that damages the wiring, watching as he wrenches it off. He successfully throws her from him, and she is already running and telling civilians to evacuate the area. 

“Get out of the way ! Stay out of the way !” She cries out in pain as a bullet lodges into her shoulder, and the Soldier makes his way to her, ready to neutralize her. Steve comes and makes the soldier depart from her. They begin to fight to the death, as they attack each other and dodge the punches and kicks. In a tactical roll, the Soldiers mask falling from his face. He rises from the floor quickly, ready to kill the blond man. Steve is shocked at the identity of the man, as he realizes him as his friend, his mind whirling through memories of his old pal Bucky, and finally the day he fell from the train and into the snow. 

“Bucky !?” He questions aloud only for the Soldier to furrow his brows in confusion. 

“Who the hell is Bucky ?” He says and raises his gun to kill the man. Sam drops in and pushes Steve away from the Soldier. He throws a bomb and Steve deflects it with his shield, already hearing the sirens. They are surrounded by Hydra agents, Rumlow yelling at them to drop all weapons. 

“ Drop the shield, Captain ! On your knees ! Get on your knees ! Now ! Get down ! Get down !” Steve drops his shield, clanging loudly against the ground, his arms up in surrender. 

“Get on your knees ! Down !” Rumlow kicks Steve’s leg, making him kneel. “Don’t move.” A Helicopter arrives and Rumlow looks up at it. He looks at the agent holding the gun to Steve's head. “Put the gun down. Not here. Not here !” The 3 are then escorted to a van and taken into custody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading !


	17. Temulentia 17.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Chapter 17 !
> 
> Some sad Steve for you guys. and liars abound. Look forward to more stalker!Bucky in later chapters. 
> 
> Love You !

Inside of the van, Steve thought of Bucky and Temulentia. How could she have kept this a secret from him ? She had no excuse. He had even taken her to the Smithsonian in D.C. to go and see the exhibit of ‘America's greatest hero’. Some hero, he had ‘died’ for no reason. Hydra was alive and well like she said, living like cockroaches in the shadow of SHIELD. She had seen the pictures and if he could recognize his friend, there was no reason she shouldn't have been able to. No wonder she had been so hesitant that day after she arrived. __ changed the subject so she wouldn’t have to talk about him for too long, bringing the attention to her worry. Whenever he talked about him, she seemed to clam up a little, shy away. He knew now that it was because she did recognize the Winter Soldier as Bucky. Natasha and Sam questioned him about the man and he answered. 

“It was him. He looked right at me and he didn't even know me.” Sam looked incredulously at Steve's conclusion. 

“How’s that even possible ? It was like seventy years ago.” Steve thought back to the day his friend fell off the train and to where he thought he would be lost forever. 

“Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on 'em. Whatever he did, it helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him.” Natasha gave him a sympathetic look despite her own pain stinging from her shoulder. 

“None of that's your fault, Steve.” Steve missed Bucky. He was a dear friend, always there to talk to, to support him. He knew he shouldn’t blame his friends death on himself, but he wasn’t able to save him and realistically, he was the only one who could have. 

“Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky.” He voiced aloud. Sam looked at the wound on Natashas shoulder, the blood steadily leaking from it. 

“We need to get a doctor here. We don't put pressure on that wound she's gonna bleed out here in the truck.” In response to Sam's request, the guard pulls out an electric rod, seemingly threatening Sam, before they used it to take out the guard next to them. The removal of the helmet reveals agent Maria Hill. 

“That thing was squeezing my brain.” Sam looks at her oddly. Maria looked to Steve, curious about the man as well. “Who’s this guy ?” 

Outside of the van, Rumlow orders his crew to dig three holes for the bodies of the 3 in the van. They begin to carry the command out, opening the doors to the van they were being transported only to discover an unconscious guard and a large hole burned through the floor of the vehicle. 

 

Agent Hill leads them through the corridor of the secret facility, a doctor running towards them. “GSW, she’s lost at least half a pint.” She informed. 

“Maybe two.” Sam added. The doctor offered to take Natasha to an infirmary but Maria declined his demand. 

“She’ll want to see him first.” They look at each other questioningly as Maria takes them to Fury who is alive, but not so well. None but the 3 of them look upon him in shock. 

“About damn time.” He said, looking at them, not nearly as affected at their presence as they are with his. 

 

Natasha’s wound is now being treated as they all converse with Fury, the man who had been presumed dead. 

“Lacerated spinal cord, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, one hell of a headache.” he said, listing all of his ailments. 

“Don’t forget your collapsed lung.” the doctor reminded. 

“Oh, lets not forget that. Otherwise, I’m good.” He said. 

“They cut you open, your heart stopped.” Natasha said, obviously unbelieving of Fury's mere existence. 

“Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it.” He explained. Steve was still confused about why they had kept it a secret. He felt like everyone was keeping secrets from him. 

“Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?” 

“Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful.” Maria said. 

“Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust.” Steve made an expression of understanding. ‘why would he when people lie about nearly everything anyway ?’ He thought bitterly. 

 

The Soldier sat in a shiny room, with little drawers all over the walls. He recognized the structure as some sort of bank, but paid little mind to it as he focused on the man who was smiling at his girl who called him Bucky. He blankly stared forward as his mind was thrown into a flashback recalling moments with the man. He was smaller than he was when he saw him at the bridge. They were in a different place and he seemed to be talking to him like a friend. Then he’s falling from the train. 

“Bucky, NO !” The blond man yells, watching him fall, panic and despair making itself known in his expression. 

“The procedure has already started.” A little man with glasses says as the excruciating pain makes its way up his left arm, or what’s left of it. 

“You are to be the new face of Hydra.” the little man said, a sickening, maddening smile stretching his face. “Put him on ice.” a dreadfully cold feeling washes over him like nitrogen ocean waves, the cold seeping into his bones, his flesh, his mind. 

In reaction, his metal arm comes out and strikes the man fixing his arm and another agent points a gun at him in case things were to get out of hand. Alexander enters the room, and a scientist attempts to warn him if the Soldiers state. He ignores the scientist. 

“Mission report.” Pierce demands and he merely looks forward, unresponsive. The man becomes angry at this and makes his demands once again. “Mission report, Now !” he yells before hitting him hard in the face. The sting is barely there as thoughts and memories and sights swirl around in his mind. Of the blond man and his girl laughing and smiling and the shadows and the memories and the pain. He was dazed and confused, stuck in his mind. His thoughts made their way out of his mouth instead of the report. 

“The man on the bridge, the blond man, who was he ?” He thinks back to when he called him Bucky. To throw off, away from the memories, Pierce quickly justifies the experience. 

“You met him earlier this week on another assignment.” He furrows his brows, sensing the excuse slipping from the man. 

“I knew him.” he said, quietly as Pierce crouches before him. 

“Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped this century, and I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're gonna give it a push. But if you don't do your part, I can't do mine, and Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves.” He said with a righteousness, but somehow it seemed to be wrong. 

“But I knew him.” He responded. 

“And you also saw him with her, Temulentia. She was your ...gift. A gift to you for all of your work. But like a stupid little boy, you set the bird free. He took her away from you and you let him.” he said, hoping to inspire hate in the man with blue eyes. But he merely made another blank face showing he had no understanding. He did that so she could be free. And the smile on her face when he saw her was worth seeing, even if it wasn’t him making her smile. She would be happy, and in result, he had no choice but to set her free. Alexander stood, knowing what had to be done. 

“Prep him.” 

“He’s been out of cryofreeze to long.” Pierce glared at the scientist in frustration. 

“Then wipe him and start over.” The scientist nodded and strapped the man with blue eyes into the chair, placing a rubber block in his mouth. Carefully, the pieces of the machine are lowered over his head. The machine starts up and he can feel his thoughts being mixed around, his memories being shuffled about and stored somewhere far away. His pain is audible in his screams and yells, yet no one cares to remove the hurt. The last thing he had left was a scent lingering about in his sensory memories. It smelled like.. Cake and fruit and flowers, like perfume and fresh cut roses. He closes his eyes, falling into the pitch black recesses of his own empty mind.

 

“You gave me this mission, this is how it ends. SHIELD's been compromised, you've said so yourself. Hydra was right under your nose and nobody noticed.” Steve pointed out. Fury wanted to salvage what was left of SHIELD but he knew that everything had to be destroyed. Perhaps later, they would be able to restore SHIELD, but a sort of cleansing process had to take place first. There were too many lies and secrets, Hydra and SHIELD double agents. It would be better to clean it all out. Nick looked a little offended at Steve's accusation. 

“Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed.” He defended.

“And how many paid the price before you did?” He inquired. Fury knew that he was referring to the Soldier, formerly Steve's best friend. 

“Look, I didn’t know about Barnes.” 

“Even if you had, would you have told me ? Or would have compartmentalized that too ? SHIELD, Hydra, it all goes.” He accused and Fury wanted to counter again. Maria understood that Steve's objective was the best choice. 

“He’s right.” Fury looked to her, and then to Natasha and Sam expectantly. 

“Don’t look at me, I do what he does, just slower.” Sam said and and Fury turned to Steve once again. 

“Well… Looks like you’re giving the orders now, Captain.”

 

Steve stood upon a bridge and his thoughts slip back to his friend, on the day of his mother's funeral. When he walked back to his apartment and Bucky caught up with him. 

“We looked for you after. My folks wanted to give you a ride from the cemetery.” Bucky said and walked with him towards Steve's apartment in Brooklyn. 

“I know, I’m sorry. I just… kind of wanted to be alone.” he explained his disappearance. Bucky accepted his answer and asked him what he thought of the funeral. 

“It was okay, she’s next to dad.” He said, thinking back to the tombstone that now represented his mother. Bucky nodded. 

“I was gonna ask-” And his question was interrupted by Steve. 

“I know what you’re gonna say Buck, I just…” He said looking down at his shoes and the pavement, ready to decline his friends offer.

“We can put the couch cushion on the floor like when we were kids. It'll be fun. All you gotta do is shine my shoes, maybe take out the trash.” He said as they stop at the door of Steve's apartment. Steve attempts to find his keys but Bucky kicks aside a brick nearby and gives him the key hidden under, in a way, telling Steve that he needed someone to aid him in the ways of simple yet complicated life. Steve took the key and thanked him for both acts of kindness. 

“Thank you Buck, but I can get by on my own.” 

“The thing is, you don’t have to.” Bucky said and placed a hand on Steve's shoulder in a supportive gesture. 

“I'm with you till the end of the line, pal.” That was one of the most memorable things his friend had ever said to him. But his memory is interrupted by Sam joining him on the bridge.

 

The man with blue eyes stands on the helicarrier, prepared for the elimination of the blond man. He had to be killed. He laid his fingers, his undeserving eyes, on his queen. He even had the audacity to smile at her. What insolence. Hate surged through him at the thought of the man laying his hands on his girl. She was everything. She held his beating bloody heart in her hands and she could crush it and stomp on it and he would still love her, adore her, serve her. He was the only one who had touched her, felt her, kept her in his arms until they were fitted so tightly together. All she needed to do was look at him like she did and he would feel the strength in his entire body weaken and dissipate before he was kneeling before her. No one else would hold her in their arms but him.

He stalked over to the man, having had enough of his existence and pushed him over the edge of the helicarrier. The man with wings tried to go after him, but with his metal arm, he pulled him back. He manages to rip one of his wings off and throw him over the edge as well. He watched over the edge as the man held onto the edge of the helicarrier, a pest, clutching onto the last moments of life. The Soldier leaves down to where the man is. He climbs up and and makes it to the place with the chips so he can replace the one he has with him. He turns to see the Soldier standing menacingly, watching him. 

“People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen.” The man he called Buck stares at him coldly, not caring about the lives lost. He has a mission and they told him if he succeeded they would bring her his queen, the holder of his love, from the tower they trapped her in. 

“Please don’t make me do this.” Steve tried to reason, but it was no use. His friend was not present. The Soldier does not back down and holds the cold glare in his eyes. Steve throws his shield, ready to fight him to save the lives of millions of people. As they are fighting, Steve has been trying to make his way closer to the targeting system and fishes the chip into his fingers, only for the Soldier to attack, the chip dropping over the railing.

The Soldier drives a knife into the blond man's shoulder, narrowly missing what he was aiming for. He grabs the chip but before he can do anything, the man has already taken the knife out of his body and has him by the throat. 

“Drop it ! Drop it !” he commands but seeing the Soldiers defiance, hurts his arm, and holds him by his throat until he is unconscious making the chip fall from his fingers. Steve grabs the chip and climbs back up to the main frame. He is close to the targeting system when Bucky awakens and starts to shoot at Steve. Despite the rounds being fired, Steve makes it up to the system. Maria’s voice in the comm tells him he has 30 seconds and he tells her to stand by. As he is about to put the chip in, a bullet is fired into his stomach. He collapses to the ground from the impact. Steve remembers his objective and finally places the chip in place, pain shooting up from his entire body by now. He hears Maria's voice telling him to leave so she can open fire in the helicarriers, but he knows it must be as soon as possible. 

“Fire now.”

“But Steve…” 

“Do it ! Do it now !” Maria hesitates before she sets the targets at each other and opens fire with Steve still inside as well as Bucky. Steve turns to his friend to see him trapped under the rubble from the destruction of the helicarriers. He rushes over and helps Bucky out from under the metal awning. 

“You know me.” Steve says, hopefully to evoke some recognition, a name or a familiar face. But the man only lashes out in anger. 

“No, I don’t.” he said. He only knew him as the bug trying to worm its way into the heart of his queen, his goddess. He punches Steve but Steve does not do the same.

“Bucky, you've known me your whole life.” In his anger, the man with blue eyes hits the blond man. 

“Shut up ! You’re no one to me ! Stay away from her ! You don’t deserve to even look at her.” Steve was confused for a moment before he realized that he was talking about Temulentia. 

“I’m not gonna fight you. You’re my friend.” Bucky pushes Steve to the ground. 

“You’re my mission !” He shouts, mercilessly punching Steve with his metal hand for smiling at his girl, for looking at her, for making her laugh. 

“You’re my mission !”

“Then finish it.” Steve says. Bucky hesitates and he doesn’t know why. He feels something in his head. Like fingers and warm water rushing inside, and he doesn’t like his own hesitation. He starts to sense something about this is wrong, and just before he can figure it out, the floor falls from underneath them, sending them both of them into the river. 

Steve is falling through the sky and into the water below, sinking slowly to the bottom. The shadow of a hand reaching forward and then there's air on his face again. His body collapsing on the bank. The man with blue eyes looks at him strangely before leaving. He leaves the cause of his mercy at a life saved for a life saved, walking away before any authorities arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is welcome.
> 
> Thanks for reading !


	18. Temulentia 18.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 18 !
> 
> There's some stalking Bucky, and some more drunk steve. 
> 
> О, как я скучал по тебе- oh how I've missed you.
> 
> Вы должны будете скучать по мне более- you'll have to miss me more
> 
> I'm using google translate, so if that says some wierd shit, sorry bout that. hmu if you wanna help correct it.

Exiting from the bathroom after her bath, __ sat on the bed. She ran the towel through her wet hair and looked at her phone. A little light was lit up in the corner and she picked the device up and into her hands. She dropped the towel on the rack and sat on the bed, opening past the front screen, which was a picture of her, Clint, Natasha, Steve, Tony and Bruce, in what Tony called a ‘squad photo’. She opened the call app and found that she had 3 missed calls from Nat. She swiped on Nats name, immediately initiating a call with her friend. The phone rang two times before the sultry voice of the woman came through. 

“Temulentia, I’ve been trying to get through to you for an hour, are you alright ?” 

“Yes, I’m fine, Nat. I was just taking a bath. What’s wrong, you sound perturbed.” She answered, explaining her unresponsiveness. 

“Have you seen the news ? SHIELD has fallen and Steve is in the hospital.” __ gasped at the news. 

“What happened ? Are you alright ? Are you there with him ?” Nat tried to calm the panic in the girl. 

“One question at a time. Yes, I’m with him, we’re in D.C., I got shot in the shoulder, but I’ll be fine. You should come and see Steve, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you when he wakes up.” She said. 

“I’ll have Jarvis get a car so you can come to the hospital. And bring some cake. I know you made some.” Natasha said, and __ could practically see the red lipped grin she had on her beautiful face. 

“Ok, I’ll try to get there as soon as I can, with cake.” She giggled and they said goodbye to each other. __ sighed. Of course Steve and Natasha would do something like this. She changed into a navy blue cropped sweater and a white high waisted skirt, with some white socks that bunched around her ankles. She adjusted the ruby necklace that Tony had gotten her and left to the kitchen to pack some slices of cake into a tupperware.

 

__ grabbed her purse and went down to the garage greeted by a self driving car and Jarvis’ polite voice telling her to step inside the car with tinted windows. She asked if she could stop by to get some flowers and Jarvis obliged, stopping in front of a local flower shop. Temulentia stepped out and walked into the store, a little bell at the top of the door announcing her presence to the clerk behind the register. She placed the sun glasses at the top of her head and browsed through the collection of the flowers. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed the boy from the front of the shop drifting closer. He cleared his throat awkwardly and she turned to him. 

“Can- can I help you with anything, miss ?” He asked and tried to smile in front of his anxiety at speaking to the girl. She smiled at his shyness and nodded. 

“I was hoping to buy some flowers for my friend in the hospital.” she said. 

“Ohh, well, how much do you want to spend ?” 

“About 20 dollars. Just a small bouquet…” She trailed off, looking around the store. 

“Well, we’ve got these and these.” He said, gesturing to a few bouquets. She picked one up that was a little to the right of the flowers he gestured to and smelled them. A bouquet of red and white roses, baby's tears scattered about the flowers to fill the space. 

“I like these.” She said, walking to the front of the store. She turned expectantly at the boy, who stared at her from across the store. 

“How much will they cost ?” He rushed behind the counter and made a few strange poses to make it look like he was leaning over the counter casually. 

“On the house, for you…that is.” He said, and she raised an eyebrow. 

“Surely I cannot just take these without purchasing them. How much do they cost ?” She asked again and he coughed. 

“Maybe a discount then ?” he asked and she nodded. 

“Okay, how much will they cost ?” 

“Your number... ?” He asked like he wasn't’ even sure if he meant to say that. A look of regret crossed his face at the jerk pass he just made but realized saying anything else would make it worse. She shook her head and removed her wallet from her purse. 

“If you’re not going to tell me, I’m just gonna leave ten dollars on the counter and go.” she said and left the store. She sighed, what an awkward situation.

She placed the bouquet on her lap and looked out the window watching as the car passed along everything on the way to D.C. She fell asleep and when she woke up, it had been three hours. Luckily the flowers had not wilted and Jarvis was wonderful at finding the fastest route. She stepped out of the car and yawned, taking the things she had brought. 

“Ms.Romanoff awaits you in the lobby.” 

“Thank you Jarvis.” she said and the system politely welcomed her. The sun was high in the sky and she brought her sunglasses down to cover her eyes. She made her way to the lobby of the hospital and immediately became drawn to Natasha with her straight red hair, dressed in civilian garb. Of course Natasha noticed her first, standing to greet the small girl. 

“I’m so glad to see you. It’s been a long week.” she said, inhaling the girls familiar fragrance. 

“Look, I’ll meet you later, I have something to get ready for tomorrow.” 

“Nat, but we just-” 

“I know, I know. I’m not sure what's gonna happen next, but we’ll see each other soon. Make sure to have some more cake for me, alright ?” __ nodded and Natasha embraced her. 

“Ok, just make sure you come back.” She said and Natasha smiled her award winning smile. 

“Always. I told the nurse to let you up to Steve's room, there's someone in there already and don’t panic. His name is Sam, he’s nice, try not to knock him out.” 

“I wasn’t going to.” Natasha smirked. 

“You never know.” She said, saying goodbye and walking out the doors of the lobby. __ sighed and asked the nurse for Steves room number and directions. 

 

She knocked on the door to the room and a man peeked through. 

“Who are you ?” She quickly answered to dismiss his growing suspicion. 

“I’m Temulentia, I’m here to see Steve Rogers.” she said and a look of familiarity came across the man who she assumed was Sam. 

“Oh, Natasha said you were coming.” He said opening the door to the curtain separated room. Music plays from a music player on a nearby table and she recognizes the song from Tony's playlist, though she's forgotten the name, something about trouble. She places the flowers on the table as well. When she turns, Sam is sitting on a chair and smiling lightly. 

“Well, I am Temulentia, a friend of Natasha and Steve. Would you like some cake ?” He looked surprised at her offer but did not hesitate as she held out a plate with a slice of angel food cake with cream and strawberries. He grabbed it and took a bite. 

“Sam, Sam Wilson. This is some good cake.” He said, and she watched as he finished the cake in under 2 minutes. She thanked him for the compliment. 

“How do you know Steve ?” she asked in a light tone and he promptly began the story of Captain America lapping him several times around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. She giggled as he told her what they said to each other. He asked how she knew him, and she hesitated before answering. 

“He rescued me from a Hydra base and I am thankful for his kindness. He is a very good man.” She said, gazing at him lying on the bed. They talked for a few more minutes before Steve began to wake. Sam and __ turned their attention to him and she grinned as Steve said the first thing he ever said to Sam. 

“On your left.” Steve smiled and looked at them one by one. “Sam, Temulentia, what are you guys doing here ?” 

“Visiting you in the hospital.” She said in an obvious tone. They smiled at each other, but she noticed the smile wasn’t in his eyes.<

 

Thanks to Steve's quick healing he was out of the hospital in few days and driving to go visit Fury’s tombstone, but in secret Sam already told her he wasn’t actually dead. Somehow she wasn’t surprised. It would take more than that to kill a man like Mr. Fury. Steve parked the car and they all exited out to the grass of the graveyard. They stopped in front of the tombstone, the verse from the book of Ezekiel in the bible displayed and she smiled at its truth. ‘The path of the righteous man.’ From behind them, Fury approaches. 

“So, you’ve experienced this sort of thing before ?” he said, obviously talking to Steve about seeing his own tombstone. Steve turned to greet the man. 

“You get used to it.” She turned as well. 

“Hello Mr.Fury.” 

“Temulentia, nice to see you.” he said. 

“Wonderful to see you alive and well, Mr.Fury.” she smiled and he grinned a little. 

“We've been data-mining HYDRA's files. Looks Like a lot of rats didn't go down with the ship. I'm heading to Europe tonight, wanted to ask if you'd come.” He said to Steve and he declined. 

“There’s something I gotta do first.” he said vaguely and she wondered about what. He looked at her with an unreadable expression before turning to Fury again. Nick looked to Sam and asked him if he would like to come. Sam declined as well, saying he was more of a soldier than a spy. He turned to her and reluctantly asked her. 

“I’m only asking because it would seem impolite not to.” She laughed. 

“I’m afraid I am not quite cut out for that kind of work.” She said and he grinned knowingly. 

“Alright then,” They all shook hands with the man. 

“Anybody asks for me, tell them they can look for me right here.” He looks to his gravestone once more before walking away. __ sees Natasha and embraces her again. 

“О, как я скучал по тебе.(O, kak ya skuchayu po tebe.)” Nat held the girl, sadly telling her the truth. 

“Вы должны будете скучать по мне больше.(Vy dolzhny budete skuchat' po mne bolshe.) She nodded, understanding what she meant. Natasha turned to Sam and Steve and spoke to them. 

“You should be honored, That’s about as close as he gets to saying thank you.”

 

__ became distracted by the breeze and looked out to the street of the cemetery. A man stood not that far from a car, watching her closely. She drowned the voices of her friends out and listened to the wind, occupied by looking at the man. He looked familiar, with chin length brown hair and pale skin, a strong jaw. She held eye contact with him and he crossed his arms before giving her a pensive look. His eyes stared at her, slowly raking up her body and she could feel his gaze, slowly sliding up to her face. She furrowed her brows. It couldn’t be her soldier. He was locked away by Hydra. Unless he had escaped after the fall of SHIELD and Hydra based operatives. But wouldn’t he come directly to her ? She believed that it was not him there and that she was either hallucinating or it was someone else and looked away. 

When she looked back out of her curiosity, he was no longer there and the car was gone. She shook off the feeling and turned to her friends again. 

After dropping Sam off at his apartment, the two drove back to New York. Within 4 hours, they were back. She fell asleep somewhere in the first hour and woke up when Steve parked the car in the garage. They rode the elevator up and she looked up at Steve who was looking down at her oddly. She had never seen him give her such a look before. When they exited, he blocked her path to the hall. 

“When were you going to tell me.” He said. It was not a question, but a demand. She looked curiously at him and a sadness came into his eyes. 

“Tell you what ?” 

“Don't play dumb with me Temulentia. You knew that the Winter Soldier was Bucky. I’ve showed you pictures, footage. It only took me one look to know that it was Bucky.” He said a little loudly and she flinched back. He had never talked to her like this. 

“I- I-” 

“You what ? What else have you been lying to me about ?” 

“Nothing Steve, I promise.” She said and he looked at her. 

“How can I trust you when you keep things like this from me ?” He said, his voice hoarse from the feeling of cold and warmth rushing around his body. Her emotional state was worsening with every word. 

“I’m sorry Steve, I didn’t want you to go after him. He’s too strong. If they used him to kill you, I would feel like it’s my fault. If I had told you, tell me you wouldn’t have gone after him.” She said and he did not answer. They both knew he probably would have. 

“I’ve already decided to go after him.” He stated and her eyes widened. Then her eyes looked down. 

“If you must. I can’t stop you.” Her voice cracked under the weight of her worry and concern. Tears fell from her eyes and down her cheek at his anger and confusion, the emotions swirling about in his eyes. He looked at the tears dripping from her chin and her arms wrapped around herself. He came closer and brought to him. Her sniffles turned into sobs that shook through her. Her smell was so strong that he could feel the joints in his knees giving out. He sat her in the lounge chair and crouched in front of her. She wiped the tears with the sleeves of her jacket until his hand moved hers, his thumb wiping her tears away. 

“I’m sorry for making you cry, sweets, I was just.. Mad that you didn't tell me earlier is all.” He stated, his hands seeking hers. His body drew closer to the scent she was giving off and the feeling flowing into his veins, spreading through him. His mind became hazy, not really understanding what he was doing. He shushed her and whispered to her to stop her crying. A sweet smell fell over his emotions, quelling his anger at her, igniting the usual shame he felt whenever he made her sad. He laid his head on her knee and her fingers ran through his blond hair. Before he could fall asleep on her knee, she spoke to him. 

“Steve, you need to go to bed.” she whispered as he inhaled more of the fragrance. He slowly stood. “Let’s go Steve.” she said pulling him by the hand to his bedroom. She helped him to the door and opened it making him sit on the bed. He sat and stared at her. 

“Are you still mad at me ?” She asked. 

“No, doll. I can never stay mad at you for too long. But you won’t keep any more secrets from me, will ya ?” She shook her head no and stood to leave the room. They bid each other goodnight and she closed the door behind her. She left to her room and thought about the man at the cemetery as she lie in bed. It might have been him, and she felt bad for not telling Steve. 

She fell asleep and dreamt that her soldier had finally escaped the clutches of Hydra and rejoined her. But when she woke, no such thing had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is welcome. 
> 
> Love you and thanks for reading !


	19. Temulentia 19.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 19 !
> 
> Have some cute domestic living and sadly, no Bucky. Mentions of Bucky are included. 
> 
> Criticism is welcome !

Over the next few weeks, Steve seemed to become less and less occupied with locating his friend. Ever since the fall of shield and the simultaneous light shown on Hydra, he had been busy with trying to eradicate the organization with destroying bases and Hydra involved locations and loyal participants in their goals. 

Though when he could make the time, he asked her a lot of questions and she answered what she could under the promise that she would tell him no more lies. It’s not like she knew much about him in the first place. But Steve pointed out that she could if she really wanted to. He was rather horrible at using computers and usually, anyone else was dumped with the job of decrypting and hacking. It was easy and boring work, but she did what she could for her friend. She did not tell Steve of the promise her soldier had made to her. To come see her, and technically she was not lying, she just wasn't telling him what he didn't need to hear. She cared for her soldier, even though she knew he was a killer. He had not done those things on his own accords, he was forced to. Forced to forget all that would stop him from committing the acts he had done. As he searched for his friend in the sea of people all over the world, he often called on her to help navigate the web of secrets, lies, and boring documents that was Hydra and SHIELD. 

She did what she could to help him pick it apart, and she was very good at it but every time they got too close, signs of him would disappear and the area they thought he might have been in was void of any traces. Like an eraser, like bleach to clean the stains of his presence. __ felt a little dejected. They had found evidence that he was no longer with Hydra and was hiding from them, but why wouldn't he come to her ? Did he not care for her anymore like he used to ? The real question was, did she ?

 

One by one, Clint, Bruce, and Tony came back to the Tower, all of them scolding Steve playfully. They were just happy none of them died. 

“Can’t leave you three kids alone for less than a week.” Clint said, ruffling __ hair. She still really didn’t understand what happened that week, when the helicarriers fell from the sky, but as the whole Triskelion thing blew over, Natasha returned to the tower. 

__ made a big Black Forest Cake, which she gave the biggest slice to Nat. She slapped the fingers of Sam and Tony away from the gift to her friend for the entire time when they were awaiting Natasha. She gave her a big welcoming hug and enjoyed the smile on Nats face, knowing that she was very missed. 

As the tower accepted one new resident, She even updated her phone background so that Sam was included in the picture. Sam was a nice addition to the tower, as he was very kind and funny, like Steve in a way, but he could actually use a microwave. He had his quirks and she quickly fell in love with him like she was with the rest of the team. She loved to spend time with all of her friends and they loved to spend time with her. She almost never really fought with any of them, unless it was for a playful matter. Like The great pillow battle of 54. Floor 54 was the one Clint and Natasha shared and the lounge after that was a mess of pillows and blankets strewn about all over the couch. Clint managed to hit everyone in the face about two times each, though he made it a point to avoid hitting Bruce too hard. But with Sam and Steve, he showed no mercy, the slap from pillow to face nearly echoing around the room. __ mostly watched behind ‘HQ’ as Clint called it, with Natasha occasionally throwing a pillow across the lounge at Tony who was trying to hit Natasha in an airstrike, launching them high in the air. Then the loudest slap of the evening rang out. Sam had hit Natasha in the face as she was throwing a pillow at Tony. (which she didn’t miss) and he apologized profusely, not wanting to be torn apart by the Black Widow. She smiled and brought him into a shoulder hug, but when no one was looking, she secretly gave him a glare that sent ice cubes down his spine. 

If there was one thing that __ loved to do, it was bake cakes for the team. Whenever they went on missions and came back tired, injured, and drained, the next morning, there was cake on the counter with their name on it. Usually it was their favorite kind, but if she didn’t know, she would make Red Velvet. It was a good default flavor. She also liked to assist Bruce in the lab. Tony went on business trips every so often and sense she didn’t want Bruce to work alone with people he didn’t really know, she would come and help him with things that the other assistants weren’t really qualified for.

As the days passed, __ began to let the encounter with the man at the cemetery slip to the back burner. __ focused more on training with Natasha. As she was a fast learner, Natasha had very little trouble teaching her how to properly evade and how to use someone's strength and weight against them. Though sh could not fight as well as Natasha, she wasn't aiming to. She didn’t really need to defend herself anyway. With her power, she could either convince them not to hurt her, or knock them unconscious in a dire situation. She usually worked with Jarvis to help them from the sidelines, hacking and coding and overriding security protocols at Hydra bases or for Tony's newer projects. Though she wasn’t technically a public, or private Avenger for that matter, she liked to pretend every so often.

 

Tonight was movie night for the Avengers + Temulentia, and it was Clint’s turn to pick the movie. He decided that it was necessary that __ and Steve watch the Matrix, a film about aliens and computers or something like that. Modern American movies were crazy. 

Everyone took a seat on a couch or a lounge chair, and __ nestled herself into Natasha's side, throwing her legs onto Steve's lap. Snacks and drinks were scattered all over the room, each person holding a preferred snack. Natasha body suddenly began to move with giggles and ___ turned to see her making fun of Bruce for eating red vines. He reserved his right to object. 

“Who even eats those ?”

“I don’t know why everyone hates them ! They’re not that bad…” He trailed off looking at the red candy in his hands. He put one in his mouth and began to eat it. Tony scoffed. 

“They taste like small slightly melted PVC pipes painted red.” and Nat agreed. 

“Honestly, they’re worse than that.” Sam said, taking some popcorn from the bowl on Tony's lap. Clint shrugged. 

“They just taste kind of gross. I think you’re the world's number one red vine purchaser.” 

“They don’t taste bad. They’re just chewy.” __ stated. “But I still don’t like them. They advertise strawberry, but it says 0% fruit.” 

“See ? It’s just a problematic candy. It gets stuck in your teeth, tastes like plastic, just all around low scoring candy.” Tony said and Steve asked for one from Bruce.

All eyes turned to Steve as he chewed on it for what seemed like forever. 

“It’s not half bad.” He said and took another bite. 

“Temulentia, confiscate the red vine.” Tony said and she looked at Steve and then Tony. 

“But Tony, he’s enjoying it. You’re enjoying it, right ?” 

“I see what you mean about it getting stuck in your teeth.” He said, trying to suck it out of his teeth. __ quick hands grabbed the candy and threw it to Clint who slapped it into the trash in the kitchen. “Wow.” Sam sarcastically cheered. 

“Hey, I was trying-” 

“Shhh, the movie’s starting.” Clint scolded and __ shushed him as well.

It was halfway into the movie and __ didn’t even understand what was happening. There was a man with a coat and some green numbers and it was all a mess. She just ended up whispering to Nat about what was happening and she only shrugged. She turned to Steve and he looked very deep in thought. 

“Do you know what's happening ?” 

“Not a clue, but I think the Neo guy is supposed to be the main character and he lives in a computer.” 

“Well, you know more than me.” She said and sat up straight to steal popcorn from Tony. Soon, the movie was over and her dazed state became less foggy when the lights were turned on. Everyone stretched and Clint asked __ what she thought of it. 

“Oh, I kind of fell asleep. I didn't really understand.” she said, stretching her arms up to the ceiling. Tony shook his head in disapproval. 

“How could you, Temulentia ? This movie is an icon !” he exclaimed. 

“You said that about Pulp Fiction and Steve and I barely knew what was happening !” Natasha set her steely gaze on Tony. 

“You let her watch Pulp Fiction ?” 

“What ? She’s an adult…” He said nervously and then he realized that he had forgotten to read the file on her age. 

“Jarvis, how old is Temulentia.” Natasha asked and Jarvis’ courteous voice responded from the ceiling. 

“Temulentia a.k.a __ Barousse Vasnetsov is approximately __ years of age.” Natasha glared at him and turned to __. 

“Do you still have cake from Steve's mission ?” 

“Yeah, Someone never finished it,” She said, her fingers coming out to flick Steves shoulder and he flinched back. 

”It’s still in the back of our fridge, I think he was trying to hide it from you guys.” __ offered Natasha a slice and she hurriedly stood to drag __ away. Steve quickly stood as well, his long legs gaining on them. 

“Hey, my cake ! I was saving that !” He yelled and as the elevator doors began to shut, __ told him he should have eaten it earlier, a lilt in her voice. Sam stood as quietly as possible as Steve was distracted by Tony's sigh of relief of what he thought was Natasha dismissing the Pulp Fiction Incident. Sam made his way to the stairs, Clint following in silent curiosity. When Steve turned to tell Sam that he was gonna go get his cake, he saw them going for the stairs. 

“C’mon, she made that cake for me !” He said jogging, which was like running to everyone else, after them. They wasted no time in speeding up and bursting through the doors of the stairwell. Sam had taken to speeding down the stairs as fast as possible and Clint slid down the railing. Steve did the same and almost shoved Clint into the wall. 

“Steve, it’s just cake !” He paid no mind as he chased Sam who was halfway to the kitchen. Natasha already had a slice and was complimenting __ on her baking skills. 

“Thank you, Nat. I made it for-” 

“Temulentia ! You gotta give me a slice, you made the one with the strawberries, right ?” Sam exasperated and __looked at him panting for oxygen. 

“Did you run here ?” He was about to tell her to hurry when Steve came barreling in. 

“Temulentia, did you give away my cake ?” He said gravely, and with that tone, she thought he might have asked her if that was a dead body on the floor. 

“I only gave a slice to Natasha, there was at least enough for four.” She whispered.

“I know but I thought you made it for me from that mission on friday.” He sighed and she felt bad. 

“I thought that you liked to share.” She said and __ patted his hand. 

“I can always make more with your name on it, Steve.” She said cutting the remaining cake carefully into three perfect slices. She laid one on a plate and placed a fork into it. 

“Here Sam. It’s strawberry, your favorite” She giggled as he hissed a quick ‘yes !’ and dove into the desert. She looked up at the AC vent next to the bookshelf near the lounge. 

“Clint, do you want some ?” The vent grate fell from the vent and clanged loudly against the wooden floor; Clint landing on the floor, gracefully. 

“Put that back first Clint.” Nat said and he sighed and replaced the grate. 

“I gotta say, this is some of the best cake I’ve ever had.” Clint said, leaning against the fridge. __ handed another slice to Steve and he thanked her before sitting in a stool himself. 

“There’s no more for you though.” Sam pointed out and __ shrugged. 

“That’s not ok. Look, you made it. I don't want any if you don’t get any either.” Steve insisted, setting his plate back on the counter. She smiled. 

“It’s ok Steve. I wouldn’t have given everyone a slice if I thought like that.” She said but picked up his fork. “However, I will steal this.” She took a bite and gave him his fork back. He smiled down at her and she leaned over the counter, her feet resting on the rung of the stool. Sam and Natasha laughed as Clint explained to them how Steve almost smashed him against the wall in the stairwell, Steve blushing in embarrassment. They all talked and laughed until all of them began to trickle out. It was just __ and Steve.

 

“I’m sorry for giving away your cake, Steve. I’ll make you another, you don’t have to be on a mission for me to make you one.” She said as they walked to their rooms. __ door was before Steves in the hallway and they subsequently stopped in front of it. 

“Temulentia, I couldn’t ask you to do that, I shouldn'ta made a big deal of it.” He murmured. 

“But you know I will. Which kind would you like ?” He chuckled. 

“What do you wanna make ? I think you know I’m just gonna eat it anyway.” She laughed at his admittance. 

“I’ll surprise you.” She beamed her gorgeous genuine smile and his heart beat a little faster. He whispered goodnight and so did she, as __ entered her room. He sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck, a faint smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it sucked, 
> 
> Love you and thanks for reading !
> 
> I know I said this isn't a love triangle, but... Whatever. You'll see... ( ˘ ³˘)♥


	20. Temulentia 20.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Chapter 20 !
> 
> This chapter has shitty science !!111!!! I have a D- in bio right now, so don't complain about DNA and what that has to do with anything ok, I just needed some science stuff to throw in there to make you and me look smart. If you have some actual science that Bruce would actually talk about, HMU please ! I need it. Also, the same applies to descriptions of hacking and computers. I'm better at liberal arts. 
> 
> Critisism and some constructive tips ;) are welcome.
> 
> Love you !

The spring breeze fluttered through her skirt and his senses picked up the aroma of her wafting through the air, a euphoric shiver making it’s way down his spine. Goosebumps erupted on his skin and he felt himself waver a little. He watched her shake hands with the man with the hoodie.The blond man and the man with the wings were standing with her and the man with the sunglasses eventually walked away. The woman with red hair walked up and the girl hugged her and said something before letting her go. He watched her closely. 

He wished he could run to her and pick her up in his arms, hold her like he used to and keep his promise. But he would risk being spotted by her friends. Nevermind a risk, it was certain. What would he even tell her ? That he tried to kill her friends but he didn't really mean to ? What excuse could he use ? He nearly killed all three of them and he even told that blond man to stay away from her. She would hate him, reject him and he couldn’t imagine such pain. Worse than any torture, than any wound. The torture brought upon him was uncontrollable, but he could do something about how she thought of him. Even if she had told him that, he would still love her. Should he even call this love ? He didn’t want to call it by any other name. To call it anything besides love would be detrimental, infatuation was extreme but sounded impersonal, distant from the heart. 

No, he could feel her there, she broke into it and made it her own. Long locks of __ were drawn back in the wind. Then her eyes fell on him. The chill swept over him and then it was heat, rushing all around. Her eyes stared into him and he felt the urge to run to her again. But he would resist. For now, all he could do was watch, see, view from far away. If anyone else had as much blood on their hands as him, he wouldn’t let them near her, so he resolved that he would stay away, get away from here.

She furrowed her brows as his revelled at the sight of her in all of her grace. He wanted so badly to taste her again, to feel her fingers dragging against his skin. To hear her speak to him again, to assure him that she loved him too. He would give anything to do these things with her again, unaffected by himself or anyone else, unbothered, unfettered by his mind, his past, the mess that he called his life. Did she love him still ? Now that she had met such a good man as the blond man, who he learned was called Steve, he wondered if he compared. He exhaled as she looked away, the weight of her gaze falling on the woman with red hair as she departed. Before anyone else could take notice of his presence, he got in the car and drove off. He squeezed the steering wheel in his cowardice. If he weren't so… so.. If he wasn't like this. If he was Bucky, not this. Would he have run up to her and taken her into his arms, like she belonged there ? Maybe he would have pressed his lips against hers, felt the tingle in his body. Press his heart against her hand, her blood mixing with his until they existed together. Until he could feel her inside of him and she could feel him inside her, he could whisper in her ear about how he had kept his promise. He was burned by the claim she carved and staked into his heart, into his flesh, into his thoughts. Her eyes and lips on him, her smile shining on him like the light of the stars. But now was not the time to speak to her and weigh her down with all of his problems. She didn’t deserve that and he didn’t deserve her. How would he be able to control himself around her ? He didn’t trust in himself, and most especially with his girl.

 

A soft song played around the room as she sat in the squishy stool in the lab. Her fingers worked at the keyboard and her hands lifted to use the hologram surfaces that Tony argued were better than the monitors she was used to using. She sighed as someone entered the lab. 

“Good Morning Maria.” The woman smiled and made her way to hand the girl a tablet she swiped away at it before transferring the info. 

“You don’t seem too happy to see me… Any luck on finding Strucker ?” __ swiped a notification away and turned to the brunette woman. 

“Yes, I’ve locked down some reports on a castle in Sokovia, strange people in the nearby towns, names floating around, but I still have to go through firewalls and security codes. I’m sorry, I’m just a little more sleepy than usual. ” Maria lifted her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. 

“Who’s keeping you up ?” She laughed 

“Myself. Tony has been insufferable about the Iron Legion and a bunch of other projects and I’ve been asked for advice on everything at least 7 times each, I’m just a little tired with all of this.” She said waving to the holograms behind her. 

“Well, be prepared for more. Thor is coming to the tower on monday, and he is definitely gonna want a location on the scepter.” 

“Who’s Thor ?” Maria looked at her in confusion. 

“You know, he’s the god of thunder.” 

“Of course I know that. That's Norse mythology. You said the name like you know someone named Thor.” She set her feet on the glass floor and made her way out of the lab. 

“I’m going to let you meet him. He’s a little weird, but he’s great.” She said as they went down the stairs. __ nodded her head. They talked about some impending missions and extracted files before Maria left to her office.

 

She spent the rest of the morning in a hazy cat nap in the common room, waking up to being poked in the cheek by Nat. The red head sat on the couch. 

“Hey sleepy head.” She mumbled a response before cuddling back into the pillow. “C’mon wake up, let’s go bug Steve or go get some coffee.” Nat said as she pulled gently on the girl's hand. Slowly, her head raised from the pillow and then her body from the couch. 

“Fine, only because I love you.” She said, dragging herself off to her room. Natasha laughed. 

“Of course you do.” 

 

She sat in the sun of the terrace at the café listening to the people. 

“So Thor is coming on monday..” Nat reminded. 

“Who is Thor, Like the actual god ?” __ questioned. It couldn’t be the actual god, myths aren't real. She assumed that he was just called Thor because he was enhanced or something. 

“Yeah, it’s crazy and he legit sounds like Shakespeare.” __ sipped on her drink and shook her head. 

“Oh, that's why Maria said she wanted me to see for myself. I asked her and she just said that I would meet him on monday.” 

“Mhmm, he has the hammer and everything.” she said. She recollected the story of Thor smashing his phone with it when he got angry that it died in the middle of a video. Then she explained he was only planning on staying for a little before returning to Asgard. 

“Wait, like real Asgard ? With the other norse gods ?” Nat raised an eyebrow. 

“I thought that you knew about that ?” 

“I’m sorry, I was busy being a popsicle.” She joked. They laughed and talked a little more before getting up and leaving the café. As they entered the fancy car, her phone began to light up, Tony’s name and a kissy face appearing. She answered and lifted the device to her ear. 

“Teemuuuleentiaa… We need your help in the lab ! Bruce has no idea what he’s doing. And can you grab me a frap ? Jarvis said you guys were out.” Over the phone, she heard Bruce complaining. 

“Tony, shut up. I know what I’m doing, I just need someone who's competent to help. I’m sorry Temulentia, I know that you’re out with Nat, but this can’t wait.” 

“I understand, I’ll be there soon Bruce. Do you still want that frap ?” 

“Is that even a question ? Green tea please.” She giggled as she heard Bruce hesitantly ask for a mocha macchiato. She told each of them goodbye and gave them Nats regards as Nat pulled into a drive thru. 

 

They made idle talk as they rode the elevator to the lab, Nat said that she was gonna go for a run and that she would see her later as she got off on her floor. __ nodded and said goodbye, holding a brown cup holder. Sneakily, she stole sips from their drinks until the elevator stopped. Steve showed behind the doors of the elevator. 

“Hi Steve.” she said as she looked up from the floor. He entered the elevator, dressed in regular casual attire. 

“Hey. Where were you this morning, I didn’t see you at breakfast.” She hummed. 

“Tony said that I had to find the lab with a hopefully intact scepter by monday. I took an early start, which is horrible by the way. I don’t know how you do it.” She said, and he chuckled. 

“Yeah, me neither.” She smiled. 

“So, where are you going ?” 

“Apparently I am an intern now. I bring Bruce and Tony drinks while I fix all of their problems.” He grinned and could imagine Tony telling her to bring him a drink while she typed and swiped at the holograms and the keyboard. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. 

“See you later Steve.” She chirped and he told her the same. Her shoes made small sounds against the pretty glass floors Tony had in the labs, which she told him was kind of a bad idea, but who was she to question the great Tony Stark ? As she entered the lab, Bruce recognized the scent and but did not turn to greet her. 

“Temulentia, can you help me with this ?” He asked while staring at the hologram which was displaying some data. 

“It’s so nice to see you too Bruce ! I just had the most wonderful time with Nat !” He looked up from the data, turning in panic. 

“Oh, No, I didn’t- It’s nice to-” She laughed and his glasses flopped over his eyes from his forehead. 

“It’s fine Bruce. Here's your macchiato.” She said, passing by him, handing him his drink, a delicate finger coming to lift his glasses back onto his forehead. Tony was bent over a glass screen and one of his suits, punching in codes for the welding bot to use. “Tony, I have your frap…” She sang, setting it on the glass table with the cup holder. 

“Ugh, Yes, some sustenance ! I haven't eaten anything all day.” He said, drinking almost half in the first sip. “You know, Helen said this stuff is good, but it’s kinda gross.” He said and was about to drink the other half before she snatched it out of his hands. 

“A green tea frap is not sustenance or a meal, Tony.” He pouted and Bruce laughed as she began to drink it instead. 

“I’ll bring you an actual snack, after I help Bruce.” 

“Will it be cake ?” 

“No Tony, as much as I wish cake was a meal, it is not.” She clarified. She walked over to the hologram that Bruce was working at. He turned and moved so she could regard it as well. 

“So this is the guanine-” 

“and cytosine base pair. Its supposed to only have three not four.” She said, pointing at the double helix model, revolving slowly. 

“And this here is a chromosome deletion.” __ gestured to another hologram 

“You literally looked at it for less than a minute.” 

“And you’ve been staring at it for how long ?” She smirked before turning to leave the lab. “I’m gonna make Tony something to eat before he passes out, is that all you needed ?” she called out and he nodded. 

“Yeah, I should've seen it sooner.” 

“It’s ok Bruce. I’m always happy to help you two out.” She smiled before making her way down the stairs to the common room kitchen. She began to take out some things to make an omelette before Sam came in with a Stark tablet. 

“Temulentia, you gotta see this lead, Steve is gonna freak, but I think we got him.” He said, sitting at the counter. She whisked a few eggs together as he elaborated. “A surveillance camera caught this outside of a furniture store in Switzerland and another here in the Czech Republic, both separated by two days. The time frame fits and the dude in the tape is intentionally hiding his face.” 

The tape was grainy and black & white, a timestamp ticking in the corner. A man walked by in dark clothing and a hood was brought over his face, a paper bag in one hand. An arm came to pull the hood a little lower and the hand was a dark color. The arm quickly lowered down and went into the pocket of the jacket. The video ended and another came on as she chopped some herbs up. This time, it was in a parking lot and the man looked almost the same, but this time there was no bag in his hand. His hands were at his sides, and both hands were light, indicating no gloves. The video ended and Sam looked at her expectantly. 

“Well, what do you think ?” She hummed as she added cream to the eggs and poured them into the hot pan. 

“The first was way too grainy. Jarvis, can you tell me what the weather was like in Chur on wednesday ?” 

“Cloudy with light rain, ma’am” she thanked the AI and flipped the omelette. 

“It was raining, so the hoodie makes sense, but I saw the hand and the timeframe fits like you said, it's been too long. He's probably cleared out of there by now.” She agreed. 

“The second one however, that’s not him.” 

“Why not ?” 

“Both hands are light.” She flipped the omelette again before lifting it onto a plate. 

“And the hoodie ? It wasn't raining in Opava on Friday.” 

“Anyone can wear a hoodie, Sam. The first one might be him, look into it a little more and keep me posted. Send me the link.” She carefully laid a slice of cheese over the omelette and let the cheese melt a little as she sprinkled the herbs on top. 

“Got it. I was gonna ask, for the after party that Stark is no doubt gonna throw ? What cake are you making, you know just a little curious..” He explained and she smiled. 

“How did you know I was making cake ?” He smirked and leaned against the wall by the hallway. 

“When aren't you making cake ?” 

“I’ll make one with strawberries just for you Sam.” His face lit up and he beamed at her. 

“Really ?” 

“Sure.” she laughed. “I know you aren't a big fan of Red Velvet, so I’m not gonna make you eat something that you won't enjoy and the whole team likes Red Velvet but you, Sam.” She said and she laughed again as he cheered loudly. She picked up and brought the omelette back to the lab. 

“Tony, you have to eat something. Not a snack, a meal.” She said setting the omelette. 

“And you shouldn't even be eating in here.” her muttered a muffled thank you from behind a mouthful of food. 

“Anywhere else, and he won’t eat it.” Bruce said as they watched Tony scarf it down his face. 

“I guess I’ll throw on a lab coat and we’ll get to work.” She sighed as she shrugged on a coat, prepared to be kept here till ten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading !
> 
> P.S. frappachinos belong to Starbucks. Starbucks and their drinks do not belong to me.


	21. Temulentia 21.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Chapter 21 !
> 
> Translations:
> 
> Maintenant nous pouvons nous moquer de Tony. Espérons que Jarvis ne traduit pas- now we can make fun of Tony. Hopefully jarvis won't translate. 
> 
> Ouais, Nous pourrions vraiment- Yeah, we really could.
> 
> Mais ton accent est terrible. Tu dois travailler sur ça- But your accent is terrible. You need to work on that. 
> 
> I am actually learning french right now, but I still used some google translate, (shameful, I know.) But if that needs some correcting, hmu. Does Steve actually speak french ??? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Is he good at it ??? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

It was finally sunday. Tomorrow would be monday, and on tuesday, the team would be heading out for a mission in Sokovia. After a lot of searching, __ and Maria got an official location on Strucker and the team decided to head out on tuesday to go check it out and hopefully not destroy everything. __ spent the day helping Tony and Bruce and once she escaped from the lab when Tony wasn't looking to drag her back, she went to find Nat.

“Nat, help, I’ve got nothing to wear for the party.” She pleaded, jumping to sit on the counter. Nat pulled a box of blackberries and rinsed them before setting them on the counter. 

“Neither do I. We should go shopping together, invite Maria, It’ll be fun.” She popped a blackberry in her mouth and so did __. She nodded and swallowed the berry. 

“Can we go today, The party’s soon and I still have to make cake.” 

“Yeah, I’ll call her and see if she has some time off today.” She said, and put the berries back in the fridge. As __ jumped off the counter, Nat spoke up. 

“Wait, what cake are you making ?” She asked. 

“Red Velvet, you’re favorite.” She winked at Nat and she smiled as the girl left the room to get ready.

When she exited the elevator onto her floor, Jarvis’ voice made itself known. 

“Miss. Vasnetsov, it appears that a package has arrived two hours ago. It has been scanned and deemed safe, but I advise caution, there is no return address.” She furrowed her brows before her eyes came to rest on the package on the coffee table. 

“Thank you Jarvis. There’s no name on it ?” 

“No other names are on the package except yours.” He said and her finger brushed the beige paper wrapped around the package, held together by a piece of twine and aptly taped together. She grasped it in her fingers and shook it. A tinkling sound emitted from inside and she looked at it again. In cursive was her name and the address of the tower. But there was no last name, just Temulentia. It wasn’t too loopy, but not print looking either. It was very neat, like there were imaginary lines over and under the close letters. Her nails scraped the tape back and untied the knot, the paper unfolding gently around the box and she took it away to reveal a red velvet jewelry box. It reminded her of her red velvet skirt as the tips of her fingers felt the material. She opened the box carefully to reveal a silver chain, glinting in the light. 

At the bottom hung a garnet pendant, the stone carved into a smooth heart, a silver piece attached at the top to connect it to the necklace. On the side was a small glass bottle and inside was a coiled piece of paper. Removing the cork, the piece of paper fell into her palm. She pulled it apart to see the same handwriting, in blank ink. 

“To take and to keep.” she whispered and stuffed the note back into the little glass bottle. Her finger swept her hair aside and the necklace fell onto her neck with a small jingle against the gold of Tony’s. She smiled as her fingers came to fiddle with the heart shaped stone as she went to get ready for her shopping trip. Carefully, the velvet box with the note was placed on her desk. There was no way to be sure but she had a feeling it was him, the blue eyed man, James. 

 

After two hours of walking around in a shopping district, Maria, Nat, and __ had chosen and purchased dresses. Maria decided on an orange dress that looked very nice with her skin color and Nat bought a form fitting cream dress that bounced light beautifully. 

__, however had a harder time deciding on a dress. Most haute couture or expensive dresses were for taller people and looked awkwardly long or were to small for her body shape. But she finally came to like an almost transparent black a-line dress that fell to her mid shin and came with a black silk slip. Silk red roses were embroidered on the see through layer and the sleeves were entirely see through, a cuff of black silk at the wrists. She loved the roses and the feeling of the silk on her skin. __ and Nat said goodbye to Maria as she went home and Nat and __ boarded the elevator. 

“I am so tired, I could just collapse.” __ said and yawned shortly after. 

“Same, I want coffee but it’s too late to have any and I’m too lazy to make any.” Nat sighed. They hugged and told each other goodnight as __ got off on the 53rd floor.   
She was surprised to see Steve awake, listening to Édith Piaf. Usually he went to sleep early and the team would make fun of how old he was and if he needed anyone to help him to bed. She laid the dress bag and the bag with the shoes on a nearby chair before collapsing on the couch next to Steve. 

“Hey Steve.” She muttered as she sank into the cushions, blood rushing to her feet. It had been a long day. The sound of ‘La Vie En Rose’ flowed from the speakers and she barely heard him greet her. His arm was across the back of the couch and his foot rested on the other knee, a book in his hand. 

“What are you reading ?” She whispered and he looked at her peering at his book from her position next to him. 

“I don’t know really, I just started. But Bruce said I should read it.” he said, turning the page with his thumb. Her head was on his arm and he didn’t want to disturb her. __ hummed, too exhausted to crane her head and look at the title. 

“I didn't know you spoke french. You do, right ?” she asked and he closed the book. He explained how he learned french to communicate with the members of the french resistance. Her head nodded slowly in acknowledgement. She answered as he asked her if she spoke it as well. 

“Mhmm. Maintenant nous pouvons nous moquer de Tony. Espérons que Jarvis ne traduit pas” she mumbled and giggled sleepily. 

“Ouais, Nous pourrions vraiment.” she smiled and giggled a little louder. 

“Mais ton accent est terrible. Tu dois travailler sur ça.” 

“Well, I didn't get much practice.” He grinned and listened to the song. He couldn't really understand what she was saying but it was definitely a love song. Listening to this type of music was both enjoyable and almost painfully nostalgic, reminiscent of a time that he would never see again, friends he could never see again, cars, buildings, songs that they didn't make the same anymore. 

He was taken from the memories as she made a small motion. She hummed again and thought about getting up and dragging herself to her room, but merely sat against the cushions. She was so tired, as soon as she fell on the couch the first time, she already knew it was going to be nearly impossible to get up. She yawned again. Too lazy to actually get up, she fell asleep on the couch practically out cold. Her head lolled against his shoulder and he stiffened to see her eyes closed, facing the other way. Her hands were limp and her breathing slow, almost inaudible. He smiled fondly and lifted her small body into his arms, easily picking her up. Her head fell against his chest, curling inwards to the heat, and luckily she did not wake up to the level change. When he reached her door, he held her limp body with one arm and opened her door, shifting back to two. He carefully laid her on her bed and the back of his fingers brushed against her thigh. A shock of pleasure hit him like a train and he flinched back. The smell in the room seemed to thicken and in the back of his mind, he vaguely recognized it as her signature aroma of candy and flowers and sweet things. It was so strong and swamping, he was nearly wallowing in it. She rolled over and sighed, the panic coming and going, seeing as she had not woken up. 

His knees wobbled and before he could fall onto the carpeted floor, he sat at the foot of her bed. What was happening ? He couldn't think about anything else but her, her skin, he wanted to- to touch it again. He shook his head and clutched it. This was strange but felt familiar. Had this happened before ? Was it like when he was shorter and sickly ? When a few watered down drinks were way too many ? He sighed and immediately regretted it as he filled his lungs with the candy like smell. He turned to look at her and watched with furrowed brows. Focusing on something was just out of reach, out of capacity. He was doing his best to try and pull himself up and out of the door, but his legs didn’t seem to get the message. A part of him wanted to touch her and the other wanted to drag him away by the ear. 

His fingers reached out shakily as he swallowed heavily, making contact with the skin of her thigh, the blue dress a little higher than was appropriate. The pleasure flowed like currents into his body, endorphins rushing under his skin. His palm was about to lay itself against her skin when a shift in her leg snapped him back to a semi-aware state. He stood, waiting for her to start yelling at him but she was too sleepy to care about the touch on her leg. Her pillow crinkled as she cuddled into it and he internally relaxed. He crept out and into his own room at a slow pace, already seeming to forget what had happened as she slept soundly. 

 

__ stared up at the big blond man that the team introduced as Thor. He was very tall and very muscular with long golden blond hair. He was dressed in elaborate armor, a brilliant red cape draped down from his shoulders. 

“Milady.” He murmured, looking down at her small stature. She was small in comparison next to everyone anyway. Her fingers tugged on the sleeves of her shirt, pulling them to cover her palms. He broke into a very wide smile and she smiled politely as well. 

“Nice to meet you-” She was interrupted as he swept her into his arms into a hug. 

“Brother Tony, where did you find such a midgardian ? She is so.. tiny ! And she smells very pleasant.” He exclaimed and she yelped. 

“Thor, don’t..” Nats hand came down onto his shoulder. Not in an exceedingly harsh way, the touch brought his blue eyes to her green ones. The look in her eyes made him freeze and he set her on the floor. 

“Lady Natasha.” He said stiffly before clearing his throat. __ looked between them and laughed and began to introduce herself again. 

“As I was saying, my name is __, but I prefer to be called Temulentia.” She smiled and put out her hand to shake. He regarded it before taking her hand bowing to kiss the top. 

“Thor Odinson of Asgard.” he said with a charming grin. She blushed at his chivalrous gesture. Steve raised his eyebrows and Tony snorted at the air of awkwardness. 

“Alright thunder thighs, it’s time for the mission briefing.” He said, making his way to the conference room, the team following him.

 

__ passed out folders containing details for the mission and everyone thanked her. When there were no more left, she sat in a chair by the front of the room as Maria began to elaborate about the task and who would work on what. As she discussed the heavily guarded castle, __ didn’t really pay attention. Most of the info she knew already and she wasn’t even allowed to go on missions. It was never really brought up by anyone and no one really expected her to. As she read through the file, she corrected punctuation mistakes and typos for fun with a black pen, doodling on the sides. 

After the meeting was over, Nat told __ that she was going to go for some target practice with Clint. Everybody else decided to go train in the gym or review techniques and tactics to prepare for the mission. __ yawned and trudged back to the floor she shared with Sam and Steve to lounge about in leggings and fuzzy socks and prepare the cakes for the after party tomorrow. __ sighed. Knowing Tony, he invited a ton of people that she didn’t know and would have to fend off strange advances from strange people, awkwardly excusing herself when they asked her out for dinner or a coffee. It almost made her not want to go, but she wouldn’t want to miss a celebration for her friends. Watching them laugh, tell stories, and just relax was a welcome sight.

After lots of mixing, flour dust, and eggs, she had two cakes ready for the party. She set them carefully in the fridge and wiped her hands on the towel hanging from the oven handle. She sat on the chair, wanting to relax a little before officially going to bed. Finally, she could sleep in tomorrow. Usually Steve had Jarvis wake her for breakfast because she didn’t wake up early and train like some of the others, but sense not everyone was gonna be here anyway, Sam and __ secretly told Jarvis not to wake them up. Because they were all shipping out early tomorrow, __ went to go say good luck to Nat and a few others before she went to bed. Tony, of course was very excited about the cake for the party, but she did not tell him that she had already made them. If she did, he would probably sneak a slice before the actual party. She told him to grab all the data and files he could and he smirked cockily. 

“And when don’t I ? You know I’ll bring you back something to blow up.” She smiled and bid them all good night.

When she went to Steve’s room, he was getting his uniform ready. He let her inside and she sat on his bed cross legged. 

“Are you excited for tomorrow ?” She asked, tracing patterns onto the comforter that covered the bed. She grabbed his pillow and held it close, resting her chin on the top. He sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. 

“I guess, I mean, I’m not excited about more Hydra, and I think I’m more prepared than excited…” He trailed off and was surprised to hear her giggle. 

“I meant the party. Everyone was excited about the cake. But it’s ok, just shows you're dedicated.” She said as he turned red. “Did Sam show you the video ?” She whispered and he nodded. 

“You think it’s really him ?” She nodded and explained why she agreed. He didn’t respond and looked down at the ground. She knew that he heard what she had said, but he was distracted by his thoughts. Lost in memories and unsaid words, unkept promises, regrets. __ remembered that he had to leave early tomorrow and decided to let him rest. She set the pillow down and put a hand on his shoulder, his blue eyes flicking up to meet hers. 

“It’ll be alright Steve.” She said quietly, squeezing his shoulder supportively. He smiled faintly at the gesture, grateful for her support. Giving him a smile, she stood and turned, whispering goodnight and wishing him goodluck. He echoed her goodnight and stood to open the door for her. A soft click sounded behind her and she yawned again.

Her feet were silent against the floor in the hallway as she made her way to her room. After brushing her teeth, she fell against the soft sheets, her hands bringing the comforters to her chin. The necklace weighed heavily against the skin of her neck. Her finger came to touch the silver chain and skimmed down to the pendant. Its presence meant that he knew where she was and that he was no longer under Hydras command. He was free. Free from all of them. She wondered if he remembered her, the missions he was sent on. Happiness swelled in her heart at the revelation of his freedom. But if he knew where she was and if that was him at the cemetery, why had he not come forward to talk to her, to tell her, to touch her, to kiss her, to let her feel the beating of his heart in his chest ? __ would rather feel the real thing. She fell asleep thinking of him, joyful for his freedom, crestfallen for his abrogation. 

Ice melted down the skin of her hip and her hazy eyes followed the glint of metal in the fog. What time it was and where she was seemed to be irrelevant. Those things paled when she felt the steady rise and fall of someone's breath behind her. Slowly, she turned and met the blue eyes of the man. Was it him ? A figment of the imagination, a shadow of a thought to keep her company in her sleep ? The pads of her fingers came to rest on his face, her palms leaning against the scratchy facial hair. The feeling was somewhere in between reality and the inventiveness of her need for him. Her eyes met his and a prick of pain cut her heart. Sorrow swam in the depths of his eyes and his lips did not smile at her. Instead they parted and he whispered something incoherent. She sat up and told him to repeat what he said. His words were muffled, drowned out, like he was trying to talk to her underwater. He sat up across from her, his dark long lashes blinking down to his cheeks. He had not changed since that day she left the base, he wore the same clothes, the same coldness yet a warmth lingered there, slowly fading away. Shady colors lined the skin under his trained expression of indifference. 

The heat of his body was next to her, within less than an inch of her senses and yet she could not feel it under her palms. She wondered if he was not warm or if she could just not trust in the realness. Her knees scrambled closer to him and she wrapped her arms around him, hoping to feel him respond, his strong arms to wrap her up close to him, to hear the rumble of his calming words in her ear. But there was no response from him like this and __ separated from him to see his face again. His eyes were closed as if he were in pain, his brows furrowed, his teeth bared but not in a smile. He brought his lips to her ear, his face pressing gently into her cheek, his hands grabbed the sides of her arms holding her to him. Again, he said something that she could not hear. The voice, the sound, it was present, but there were no words to understand. She blinked slowly and his back turned soft and the weight of his body was not there. The sun streamed through the window, glaring at her. __ flung the blankets away from herself and held herself, trying to remember what his touch felt like, his supporting frame there to hold her, but it wasn’t the same. Her arms could never be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, criticism is welcome. I love reading your comments, so send me some shit, I'll read it, probs reply because I love you. 
> 
> Thank you for reading !


	22. Temulentia 22.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Chapter 22 !
> 
> Happy Birthday Bucky Barnes ! 100 years, what an old dude.
> 
> Love you !

Sighing, __ threw the cotton shirt over her head and adjusted the cloth on her shoulders. Her hands flattened the material and she sat on the bed to relax. Wobbly knees stilled as she sat on the cushioned surface of the mattress. An ache had begun to settle in her heart, her thoughts drifting back to James, the blue eyed soldier. Electricity seemed to jolt her lower belly as she thought of those just as electric blue eyes gazing up at her, his mouth between her thighs, his metal fingers pushing the blood away from the skin, the grip on her waist and hips turning the skin a paler color. All of those rumbling groans and grating chokes he made when he finally pushed his hips into her palm, her hands flowing the pleasure onto his senses. But the thoughts were replaced by the melancholy eyes looking down at her, silently begging her to run from him and to jump into his arms. The fighting expression as he stared at her that day in the cemetery. She decided that was him that day, watching her from the road on the grounds of the cemetery. It had to be, who else would come and see her ? 

Another sigh escaped her as she contemplated the many reasons he could have made for himself to contradict his promise to her. Thinking better of it, she stopped and listened to the argument that maybe he was coming to terms with the crimes he had involuntarily and unwillingly committed. She knew that perhaps he was hiding from the searchers of his, those who wished that he pay for the things he had done, the blood he had spilled. These realizations made her own thoughts look selfish and a sense of shame weighed her heart further. A knock on the door as well as Sam's voice asking her to breakfast startled her into a hesitant guarding smile and she approached the door greeted by the kind smile of her friend.

“So what's up with you ? You’ve been a little more than quiet.” He said, sitting across from her in the lounge, his tablet propped up on his thigh, an iced coffee slowly melting away on top of a coaster. She looked up a bit at his observant comment. She smiled a little in an attempt at a facade but simply dropped the act at his suspicious look. __ head rested in her palm as she slumped forward. 

“I’m just… thinking about some things.” She explained vaguely, her nails scratching light patterns onto her skin. He set the tablet down and crossed his arms, his legs moving outward. She observed the behaviour and knew that he wanted to scold her for keeping the truth, yet wanted to seem open. He quirked a brow and regarded her carefully as she sat up. 

“That's not all and you know it. It’s ok to tell me what's on your mind, I’ve been told that I’m a good listener.” He smirked but not in a mocking way and she felt her heart warm at the inviting amiable gesture, that he would not mind if she shared with him her true feelings. 

She felt like she should tell Steve but he had a lot of things to be focusing on all at once, like saving the world and keeping it safe from threats and other possible future threats. With him being such a paragon to society, he had little time to himself and she didn't want him to ruminate on her thoughts and problems on top of it all. Instead she was happy to listen to his thoughts and offer her time to him. Her lips parted and he leaned forward to hear her a little better. 

“You know that I used to be a project, like Steve was a project, Project Rebirth. I was used for Project Temulentum, and I was created for the Winter Soldier to hopefully replicate the serums in both of us through procreation. I was ignorant to all of this and was willing to do these things, to participate. He seemed to have an affinity for me and though he was laconic, I didn’t mind. He was there to keep me from being alone and afraid. It was always so cold and there were little things to really enjoy at that time,” 

She breathed in from her nose and out through her mouth effectively purging the chill seeping through her flesh as she remembered the day they set her on the cold tiles like some sort of animalistic sacrifice for their deity. There were feelings of hatred, anger, egregious feelings for her captors, the murderers of her parents. They did not care for who she was and if she wanted to be treated like a human. James was their machine and she was their bitch in heat to keep him and his propriety in check. One's purpose should never be decided by the lasciviousness of another. She pressed her nails into her palm but quickly stopped so he would not see the action. Sam's eyes softened as he nodded and she looked at him so she could keep going. 

“But he was there for me and I for him. And that was enough. Even if I didn't understand and he didn't understand. I was there to keep him under control, calm, compliant, and I wished that I wasn't the one to do those things to him. When I began to understand, I did not grow apart from him, though a part of me entreated me to. I cared for him. All of the pain he had gone through, all of the life usurped from him, he was so undeserving of that.” She had seen it all. Especially now that she had more time and means to really sift through all of the documents, mission reports, lab notes, experiments. The baseness of it all was overwhelming.

“Do you still care for him, now that you’ve got a good look at things from the outside ?” He said in a gentle tone, careful to not have a biased edge to his voice. He didn't want to offend her; she had just finished explaining why she cared for James. She understood that he merely wanted her opinion and did not hold her in contempt. She nodded and looked out the window, already not wanting to elaborate further. Though she slept for some time, the dream had kept her awake for another two hours, trying to feel as secure as he made her feel. It was all in vain anyway and she did not sleep for long. She turned to him, blinking slowly. Concern rolled through his eyes as a crease formed in his brow, a soft frown forming in his lips. 

“Thank you Sam. For listening and helping me. I don’t like to listen to myself when I talk about stuff like this.” She smiled, though it was not there in her eyes. She was happy yet unhappy, she knew why and it broke her heart to hear the unfulfilled promise. She closed her eyes for a few moments swiping the back of her hand against her forehead before sighing. 

His eyes narrowed only slightly. There was something that she was still hiding. But seeing her expression of a certain tiredness that one gets from not sleeping much, he decided that he was not going to hear it today. He beamed and told her it was no problem and that he was happy to help her. 

“Anytime, Temulentia, just let me know if you need anything else.” He said, the sincere smile was this time genuinely returned. It fell slowly as she left the room with a wave of her hand and a goodbye. Her bedroom door closed in the hallway and he immediately picked up the tablet, ready to try and find the man with blue eyes. Perhaps some file would tell the secret that she was hiding from him and Steve. She was too clever to share it with either of them, knowing they’d probably just tell each other. There was too much sorrow in her eyes for it to be something that he already knew. 

Little words were said as the vendor handed him the necklace from the stand in exchange for two twenties and a ten of the euros he got from the wallet. Though he didn't like to pickpocket, he needed clothes and food, and maybe if he had enough, he could get a roof over his head. The necklace caught his eye from across the street and he remembered that if he tried hard enough, he could mail it to her. He felt horrible for breaking his promise. The one thing he could almost clearly remembered and he was too much of a coward to actually go and talk to her. It was too dangerous to go back to the United States, and New York was even worse. Of all of the mixed memories he could piece together, she was the only thing he could be sure of. The other blond man was a jumble of confusing conversations and moments that he couldn't make out. But she was kind of solid, the memories burned into his brain. He pulled the cap lower as he handed the money over with the flesh hand, muttering a thank you in german. Though he was in Austria, it was probably the same word. He made his way from the stand and to a local post office he found through a vacationing brochure. He asked in a quiet tone how much it would cost to send this to the address he found online at an internet cafe and the clerk told him a price. They gave him a small box and some stamps and he left quickly, skillfully avoiding the cameras outside of the banks and moderately guarded buildings. He took a pen from a convenience store, the small glass bottle from a vender selling engraved rice grains, and some paper to wrap it in from a stationary store. 

By the time he returned to the house he was squatting in, the sun was beginning to set. Wary blue eyes scanned the area surrounding him and found it safe to jump over. Carefully, he slid his backpack down the wall of the wooden fence and jumped over himself, landing beside his bag. He picked it up gingerly, looking around to see if anyone had seen him. The house was left unsold due to its dilapidated nature, but it was better than a park bench or a hostel. The door opened after a bit of jiggling, the back door swinging open, his hand coming back to close it. Silence settled over him as the door closed, blocking the sounds from the outside out. He sighed, happy to be away from all of those people. He hated pretending to be normal, to act okay and walk around like he couldn't kill someone in less than a minute with minimal effort. But he preferred this than to subjugated under the likes of Hydra. He sat on the chair in the living room of the dark nearly empty house, staring at the ugly peeling wall paper. He felt his body sink into the chair, his legs bending outwards, the chair too close to the floor, These times when he was alone and had no focus on the objective of laying low and avoiding conversations and people, things would rush around in his mind. 

The young girl laughing, a blond man running towards him, falling from the sky, a man lowering a metal piece of something over his head. A shock of pain ran down his neck and stabbed into his brain. Something about Bucky and his metal fingers running along the hip of the young girl, her eyes gazing up at him like she didn't see a brutal killer. A ringing was there for a moment until it suddenly zoned out, leaving him to listen to a distant car honking and his own heavy breathing. He discovered that his metal hand had torn the cloth of the already poorly upholstered chair and he stood up quickly. His hand came to his head regretting the movement as he lumbered over to his bag and set it on the dining room table so he could throw the package in the mailbox outside and hopefully let her know that he still remembered the promise he made. 

He wished he could tell her that he didn’t want to do this, to hide himself away from anyone who would recognize him as the terrifying Winter Soldier. But there was almost no doubt that the man with blond hair was looking for him. Lately, he had to cover his tracks a little more heavily. He was growing tired of running, wanting it all to stop. The painful tangles of memories, throttling around in his mind, it was making so little sense that he didn't want to think about it anymore. Even his sleep wasn't safe. They wouldn't wait, they would come and wrap around him, suffocating him even in his dreams. There was a time when his dreams were soft and warm but those days would not come for a long time. 

Before he could think about never seeing her again, he slid down the wall in the hallway in the dark. Where he belonged, away from her, away from everyone. Like this, he could only cause himself pain, and what he thought was no one else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is welcome.
> 
> Thanks for reading !


	23. Temulentia 23.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I am soooooooo sorry for lagging like a damn sloth on this chapter !!! Blame me, it was all meeeee. I hope you guys still like me after this giant wait. 
> 
> Anyways, many apologies, my dear readers. I have had a lot of work lately and I have finally caught up with it. So I had some time for this very Steve themed chapter !
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 23 !
> 
> малышка (malyshka)- little girl, babe, baby

__ sat in awe as the woman called Helen, or formally, Dr.Cho, stood beside what she called The Cradle. She explained that instead of using sutures, bandages, or stitches to heal wounds, The Cradle would heal the wound by creating new tissue, leaving no scars or nerve damage. She helped Helen plug in and set up the Cradle for Clint who would arrive in the next hour. Tony had informed her that he was injured on the field and that everything had been blown up. Though she was glad that he managed to get a lot of intel off Strucker, there would be repercussions for that, she was sure. After helping Helen and making sure that she needed no more help, __ made her way to the main lab floor to look over everything Jarvis said was extracted from the mission in Sokovia. She stared at the hologram for a few seconds after powering it on, and decided that she didn’t have it in her to work on the files and half corrupted data. She’d rather sit on the couch and… well… anything was better than working on that. __ had enough of working on finding James and looking at photos and old SHIELD and Hydra documents. She placed her hands on the table and pushed away on the wheely chair, spinning aimlessly. Slowly coming to a stop, she stared the window that showed the cloud spotted sky. Times when she was alone made her miss her soldier. Her heart ached a little and she tries not to think about how she felt when he held her and whispered little comforts in her ear. 

_His dark unkempt hair tickled the skin between her fingers as she ran her hands through the messy strands. __ wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he laid his head on her bosom, soaking in her placating scent. The muscles in his thigh shifted to bring her closer to his chest, tilting her from her seat on his thigh. He took a breath and exhaled slowly, her arms coming to straighten out over his shoulder, teasing the skin of his shoulder blades under the plain black undershirt. It felt so natural and right for him to touch her and for her to touch him. He would never flinch away from her touch, her gaze. She smiled softly, watching him look up at her through his dark lashes fanning out over his storming blue eyes. While her fingers worked at his skin, his fingers rubbed at the exposed skin if her hip, his other metallic hand warming up from the heat of her ankle, sliding up her calf. Blinking slowly, he turned back down to plant a wet trail of sloppy kisses up her neck, jaw, and then her cheek, brushing his warm lips near her ear. She shivered and swallowed heavily, whining a little._

_“You make me feel so… So warm, so together, at peace. I can't live without you, love without you, anymore. Without your kisses,” His lips trailed fire on the shell of her ear. “ your skin,” Her hair tickled at his face as he laid more sloppy kisses against her blushy flesh. “your heart beating with mine. Do you feel like that ? Do you like when I kiss you, Малышка ?(Malyshka)” He whispered in the voice that she knew was for her only. “When I touch you like this ? Tell me…” He said and his fingers squeezed at her hips, encouraging her to answer and she concentrated a little less on the feeling to answer him._

_“Ye- yes, I like it whe- when you kiss-s me and touch me like that.” She stuttered out, his grip eased a little, lightly sweeping along her skin. He held her up and placed her on the bare mattress before crawling over her, contemplating on dragging her lower as she scooted away. He forgot the thought as both of his arms caged her against the rusty metal bed frame, metal hand almost bending the iron. Her eyes watched in wonder as he loomed over her little body. She smiled a little and he smirked, his arms dropping to the mattress to cage her in closer._

_“If you feel like I do, love like I do, tell me you love me. Tell me, my little girl.” He said and she shivered. He felt her electric touch drag up the hem of his shirt, charging the area with a tingly feeling and he released a shaky sigh at the sensation. Her fingers traced up, pulling the fabric with her motion. Then her fingernails were scratching the skin of his lower torso. Knowing he was anticipating her answer, she laid her palm on his body, beholding the worry he was being consumed by. Teeth bit into his lip, knee twitching, and stomach dropping, he was indeed waiting, becoming more and more impatient with each second. Just as he was about to break, her rosy lips pulled into a breathtaking smile._

_“I love yo-”_

Her daydream was abruptly brought to an end as Jarvis alerted __ to the arrival of her friends. She thanked Jarvis before, rubbing her forehead a little. Clearing her mind, she made her way go greet them. The fluttering in her stomach lingered and she revelled in the feeling. 

___ rested her eyes, her socked feet thrown on the arm of the couch. She had finally convinced Tony to give her a break from Ultron, the new project he had his mind set on. Not without a little batting of eyelashes and telling Nat of her ‘unbearable exhaustion’ so she could do some extra convincing. Merciless as he was, he barely let her escape his clutches. He had been aspiring for something to power his ideas of a defensive world mechanism, and now that he had Loki's staff, he had found the final piece to get his plans rolling and was trying his best to keep it moving in the right direction. 

“Hey, shouldn't you be in the lab with Bruce and Tony ?” Steve approached from the hallway entrance from what was most likely his room. One of her eyes slipped open, glanced at him, and slipped closed again. She whimpered at the mention of work and he chuckled at her reaction. 

“I know, don't talk about work, I know, I know. I don't really wanna talk about it either.” He smiled and walked up to the couch. Customarily, she lifted her feet as he took his seat at the end of the couch, lowering her hovering legs onto his warm thighs. He slid down the couch, slouching against his usually straight posture. At the feeling of his lax position, she focused more on strengthening her own relaxed state, setting the heavy blanket of calm over them. The creeping sensation of a stare settled on her and she slid her eye open playfully. Steve was looking at her lazily, blue tones, like icy shards melting at her warmth. His lips upturned into a little smile of subtle candidness. 

“You're so pretty, you know that sweets ?” He said, and he had no qualms about his words, not regretting a single syllable. Steve dropped his palm onto her ankle, squeezing just enough for her to feel. “Wunna the prettiest dames I ever laid my sorry eyes on.” He murmured, averting his eyes, but not in shyness. She listened as he mentioned Peggy, as to not leave her out of his list of ‘pretty dames’ and then complained about wanting coffee. She giggled as he switched from topic to topic in a sort of drunken state. 

“Steve, if you're gonna get coffee, get me some too.” She demanded, and he hauled himself of the couch, agreeing to her request. She thanked him as he rubbed his eyes, putting water and ground coffee in the machine. She regarded his clothes observing the gray v neck that fit him nicely, the blue jeans fitting him in a similar fashion. Curling up again in the corner of the couch, she yawned. Steve asked her for her preferences and he fulfilled them dutifully, coming back to the couch. 

After finishing their mugs over a conversation about phone calls and how they work wirelessly, she yawned again. 

“Okay, no more talk of technology, I want to watch a movie.” She whined. And how could he deny the princess of the tower ? All of its relevant members were already tied around her fingers like cats cradle.

“What movie d'ya wanna watch ?” He asked in a slow manner and she turned to see him swirling the remaining contents of his now cold coffee around the mug. She shrugged and thought about it. She hadn't seen many movies lately and decided just to randomize with Jarvis later. 

“I don't know, but c’mon before Tony finds me and makes me go back to the lab.” Steve laughed at the image of Tony prowling around the tower looking for her and her advice about Ultron. He set his mug down before he could drop it. Standing to his feet, he shifts a little, wondering where she wanted to go. __ smiles at his readiness and drags him by the hand into the hallway. 

“Your room or mine ?” He asks and she says his. She knows that her scent has permeated nearly every surface of her room and would take less than a second to drive to him places he shouldn't go. He nods and leads her to his room, taking a seat on the bed as Steve told Jarvis to put on some sort of movie. Knowing __ she would just fall asleep anyway, tending to just fall into a lull, leaning against his shoulder. 

And sure enough, there she was, clutching at a pillow, lashes delicately placed against her cheeks, light breathes moving her in the slightest of movements. For a few moments, he indulges himself just a little, taking her in, swallowing any second of unrestrained staring. Everything about her is somehow held in another light, different than any other, a specialty in her face, her eyes with that adorable little glaze they had when she just woke up. He reluctantly wakes her and she is surprised to know that they have been watching movies for four hours. She takes a deep breath, stretching out like a cat, throwing his pillow back with the others at the head of the bed. Her cheek rubs against his arm in another catlike gesture before slinking out the door, a sing songy ‘goodnight’ marking her leaving, the door squeaking to a quiet close. 

The night urges him to sleep and he gives in, brushing his teeth, collapsing ungracefully on the mattress. Steve's face hits the pillow Temulentia had been cuddling, the smell pushing his scenes to remember what her skin felt like, how her voice sounded, what her face looked when she smiled up at him, how sweet her cakes taste when she spelled his name in frosting, cute loopy cursive letters caringly swirled in his honor. His tired eyes fluttering closed at all of the sensations attacking simultaneously, merciless in their onslaught. With no one to watch, he holds the puffy item closer to his face, taking in deep inhales of that unique scent. Steve falls asleep peacefully basking in the quietly smooth events of his dreams, finally left alone by his past and the present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, Criticism is welcome ! I want to hear what you guys have to say !! I love recieving comments 
> 
> Love You and Thank you for reading !


	24. Temulentia 24.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOps IIii Didd IIit AAgain !!1!!1! 
> 
> I'm so soooooooooorrrryyy I keep doing this. I'm trying, ok you guys. Skool is almoast overhh!!!!! I'm very excited as you can see. Well yahh. have fun, frensssss. 
> 
> As always, Enjoy chapter 24 !

__ sat talking to Tony's friend, who is also called James, though a common nickname the team referred to him as was Rhodey. For the past three minutes, he had been enthusiastically recounting a mission which she wondered was classified or not. 

“So the suit can take the weight, right? So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, and I'm like, "Boom! You looking for this?" He exclaimed the climax of the story and __ shook with her laughter. Her excitement caused a wave of her scent to wash out into the room. Sensing the difference in the room, she quieted down, hoping no one had noticed too much. Just then, Sam approached her and invited her to sit with him, away from any entranced guests. 

 

As suspected, there were a lot of people that __ did not know at the party. When they all finally left, she felt all of the pressure ease off of her shoulders, a genuine smile coming to grace her features as the last couple left into the elevator back to the ground floor. Natasha clutched her hand and smiled, understanding her perspective, happy to see comfort slip back into her features. The sky had darkened into dusk and continued through the night, effectively mellowing the atmosphere, the remaining party coming to gather around some couches in the center of the floor. __ whispered for Natashas help with the cake and they retreated to the kitchen for the bartenders, waiters, and caterers who had already left the tower. 

“You didn't have to come if you didn't want to.” Natasha said from behind the fridge door, removing the carefully decorated strawberry cake and setting it on the counter. Nat's eyes lingered on the floral like design of the thinly sliced strawberries before she turned to her, leaning in the counter. __ faced her and flattened her dress with her palms against her thighs. She knew that Nat was not trying to be rude and only wanted to let her know that she was not obligated to attend Tony's horrible parties of drunk people trying to get lucky and hang out with the avengers. 

“I like watching you guys talk and laugh, just be yourselves. I don't care if someone asks me why I'm here or if I’m free on saturday.” She justified and picked up the cake stand. Making her way out the door, __ turned to see Nat still leaning on the island, an unapproving look on her face. 

“Don’t let us make you do things you don't want to do. The way you said that made it seem like peer pressure and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure the team doesn't want that either.” Nat saw that she was about to counter her argument and she interrupted before she could. 

“Just tell us how you feel about these types of things. I- We care too much to let you suffer in silence.” Nat said, her heels clacking off back to the party. __ sighed and followed, making sure to put a happy glint in her eye as she approached. As soon as Sam saw Nat carrying the cake, he sat on the edge of his seat, a grin displaying the gap in his teeth. __ smiled at his excitement. 

“You know I don't like to let my friends down.” She said, looking at Nat who frowned just a little. She gave her an apologetic glance. It’s not like she was there for her friends because she was forced to, she was there because she wanted to be, a natural impetus had taken to her. 

“Lady Temulentia, this is truly a delicacy, never have I tasted something made with such care.” Thor complemented and __ blushed at his words. He had tasted food for the gods and he enjoyed her simple little desserts ? After everyone enjoyed their cake, (especially Thor who ate nearly the entire cake) the team settled into their usual casual banter and easy flowing conversation. Well, as easy as it can get with conversational partners like Clint and Tony. 

“But it’s a trick !” Clint scoffed, disbelief flooding his tone. Thors hammer seemed to lay gingerly on the table between the couches, innocently sitting with the handle in the air. The weapon had some sort of a natural draw, but as Nat had explained and the myths, (or truths ?) indicated, only Thor could pick up the hammer. If anyone else could, they were said to be worthy of ruling Asgard. Thor flashed a smug expression. 

“Oh no, it’s much more than that,” Thor said but Clint was stubborn and thus, doubtful. 

“Uh, ‘Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power !’ Whatever man! It's a trick.” Thor raised an eyebrow at the joke and gestured towards his weapon. 

“Well please, be my guest.” 

“Come on.” Tony said incredulously. 

“Really ?” Clint looked at the hammer, already ready to try and lift the hammer. Thor affirms his answer and almost immediately Clint stands up to pull it from the table. 

“Oh, this is gonna be beautiful.” Rhodey snickered. 

“Clint, you’ve had a tough week, we won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up.” Tony teased and the group laughed at his underlying joke. 

“You know I've seen this before, right ?” Clint, although very strong himself, puts all of his effort into the task and still fails miserably. __ had a feeling that everyone would be failing this evening. Besides Thor, of course. Seeing his inability, he speaks up to Thor who watches the spectacle in amusement. “I still don't know how you do it.”

“Smell the silent judgement ?” Tony taunts and Clint is quick to respond. 

“Please, Stark, by all means.” Just as Clint had, though with more confidence, Tony stands, bringing an air of his usual arrogance and aloofness to hide his excitement. Natasha rolls her eyes. 

“Oh, here we go..” She sighs expectedly. Maria and Rhodey voice their concerns of Tony's brash attitude colliding with the stubbornness of Thor's hammer. Everyone knew that Tony was just as stubborn and wouldn't quit until he got his way. He makes his way over to the hammer, suit jacket already off, sleeves rolled up. 

“Never one to shrink from an honest challenge.” Tony grips the hammer and pulls with all of his might, trying both arms and different odd angles. Clint cheers him and and Nat can already tell this hammer is going to probably be the topic for the rest of the night. 

“It’s physics !” Tony exclaims and __ smiles. 

“Always with the science, Tony.” __ sighs and Bruce cites Tony’s comment about physics as well. 

“Of course, There’s nothing science can’t explain.” He grasps the hammer again, visibly struggling against the strong force of the hammer.

“Right, so if I lift it, I… I then rule Asgard ?” Tony says around his grunts of struggle and Thor confirms Tony's inquiry. 

“I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta.” __ glared at Tony, reprimanding him for the crude statement. More minutes of failure pass and Tony claims he will be back, returning with his armored hand. He lifts again expecting a change, but the hammer still rests on the table. Tony looks at it as if it has offended him in some way, and you’d suppose it had with how many times the thing had rejected him. He calls Rhodey over and both of them make an attempt with their armored hands. 

“Are you even pulling ?” 

“Are you on my team ?” 

“Just represent. Pull !” 

“Alright, let's go !” Tony shouts, using the jets on his armored hand to create energy in the opposite direction, through the hammer does not move an inch. They both admit their defeat, withdrawing themselves and their armored palms from the hammer. Bruce tries his hand at the hammer, first pulling and then roaring pathetically to turn into the hulk. __ had to admit, she was a bit excited to see it in person, but after being silently booed from the stage by cautious glances, he too sits back in his original seat. 

“Let’s go, Steve, no pressure.” Everyone turns to Steve and he stands, though reluctant. 

“Come on Cap.” Rhodey encourages. Steves muscles bulge from his forearms as he applies both his arms to lift the hammer from its place, where it has been for the past half hour. __ sharp eyes zero in and the slightest budge appears before abruptly stopping. Her eyes widen by a fraction, as do Thor’s. But Steve is not able to lift it. Thor laughs in his relief. 

“Nothing.” He dismisses. 

“And ?” Tony announced searching for a new contender.

“Widow ?” Clint asks. 

“Oh, no, no. That's not a question I need answered. You wanna give it a go ?” Nat turns to __ and everyone in the room follows the action. __ gingerly uncrosses her legs, dragging her hair to her back. 

“I- uhh- I’ll try, only for the experience.” She stands, slowly walking over to the hammer, the leather strap dangling from the end. She wraps her hands torpidly around the handle. 

“It must be some sort of fixed point in space, in the legend it was especially forged by the dwarven brothers Eitri and Brokkr, though you must know more about it. Everything exists around it, while it is permanent, never failing.” She murmurs, shaking her head at her inability to remove it from the table. Instead on a whim, she pushes it to slide against the table, and just by a millimeter, it slides, the push not visible to most. Her eyes widen again, and she looks to Thor who is staring at her. She yanks her hand to her chest. 

“What's wrong, didya move it ?” Steve said but she shook her head in the negative. 

“I’m sorry, just a chill.” She whispers, throwing a glance at Thor who watches her and Steve suspiciously. Tony interrupts as he always does, though this time, it is slightly more appreciated. 

“All deference to the men who wouldn't be king, but it’s rigged.” 

“You bet your ass.” Clint agrees, and Maria chortles. 

“Steve, he said a bad language word.” Steve looks to Tony, an unapproving, but unsurprised look on his face. 

“Did you tell everyone about that ?” Tony glances at __ for a second, before facing Steve again. 

“Well, not everyone…” Tony trails off and Sam laughs. 

“Who doesn't know ? You gotta know !” He keels in laughter and __ raises a finger in the air, a gesture at herself before inquiring the origin of the joke. She knew Steve had restrictions about language, but nothing this unnecessarily serious. 

“Oh my- stop ! It wasn't even that bad, it slipped out !” Steve tried to justify, but it was too late, __ was already interested. She would ask Sam later. 

“The handles imprinted, right ? Like a security code. ‘Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints’ is, I think, the literal translation?”

“Yes, well that's, uh, that's a very, very interesting theory. Temulentias was much closer, but I have a simpler one.” Thor stands at his full height, long strides reach his weapon in a few moments. With ease, he lifts the hammer and flips it like a coin, making a show of the fluid movements. “You're all not worthy” The group erupts into an argument and __ giggles at Tony's eagerness to defend himself against defeat. 

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a horrendous screech causes the voices to cease, hands rising to cover ears from the harsh noise. The sound comes to a stop and everyone is curious about the noise, hands lowering from protecting their eardrums. Everything after that seemed to go very slow and then in a snap it was gone in a flash of nearly dying from Ultron, the project Tony, Bruce, and __ were working on. With her distress, her scent soaked into the room, urging everyone to defeat the ‘buggy suits’. The team decided to all go up to their rooms and change out of the party clothes so they could regroup in the lab. Steve lifted __ from her crouch on the floor, supporting her with hand gently sweeping into the center of her back. 

“Are you alright ?” he asked quietly, stepping into the elevator, pressing the button for the 53rd floor. She nodded, exhaling at an attempt to calm herself.

“I was just very… scared, was all. I’ve never- I-” She stammered, trying to stop herself from drowning in the anxious feeling gathering in her stomach. Steve hushed her rapid words, pacing her breathing with his steady heartbeat, helping her onto their floor so they could go to their rooms. Following a small shower and clean pajamas, she exited her room. __ closed the door behind her and stepped out into the empty hallway. Steves door opened and he met her gaze with a soft smile. 

“I heard your door open, so- I- uhh- was gonna go with you to the la-” she shook her head and pulled the sleeves of her sweater over her wrists and parts of her fingers. 

“Just a moment, please…” She mumbled and he nodded, letting her inside. Steve took a seat on his bed, patting the space next to him. __ grabbed the pillow at the head of the bed and brought it to her chest, curling her fingers tightly into the fabric. Shyly, she placed the pillow back at the head of the bed. Steve was about to tell her she could keep it, though it never came. She rose up on her knees and brought him into an embrace. Coming back to semi-alertness, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to her angled body. It was all over too quickly, her hands unwinding, thighs settling back onto the bed. 

“I- I feel so sheltered. I am not truculent in nature, not really a fighter. I’m not too fond of ebullitions either. I felt close to danger, and I- I hated it… I hated-” She quieted towards the end, her words tapering off into silence. 

“Us, Tony, Sam, Bruce, Nat, Thor, Maria, Clint and I. We’re all here, to protect you. Trust us. And if we can’t then-” __ interrupted. 

“I trust you guys.” she said quietly, “I trust you Steve. I trust you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loooooveeee Youuu !!! 
> 
> Commment plis 
> 
> Kudo Kudo ???
> 
> Also. thanks for reading ! 
> 
> Critique, s'il vous plait !


	25. Temulentia 25.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Chapter 25 !
> 
> Hello Frens, It is very new to see such an immediate update from me lately, and that is because I wanted something to hold you guys off for a while 'til school ends in june. So, yah, let me know if you like it in the comments ! Criticism is welcome.

“All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, used the internet as an escape hatch.” Bruce informed gravely. Most, if not all of the group had changed and stood around the lab, discussing the next course of action against Tony's wayward and defunct project, Ultron. Steves stare turned into a disappointed and expectedly annoyed glare. 

“Ultron.” He uttered, like the word tasted sour on his lips. Natasha looked around at her teammates. 

“He’s been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other.” __ knew that some of the members of the team liked to keep some things secret, private matters and the like. Especially, Natasha, a spy herself. But she liked to think that she knew their character and how their pains afflicted them. But had she really known anything ? 

“He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?” Rhodey connected, and Maria immediately followed his meaning. 

“Nuclear codes.” Maria voiced, imagining the possibilities Ultron could have with all the information of the world at his fingertips. 

“Nuclear codes. Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can.” Rhodey insisted. 

“Nukes ? He said he wanted us dead.” Natasha confusedly inquired. If Ultron used nukes, more than a few people would die. He said the ‘avengers extinction’ so, a nuke wouldn’t just only kill the avengers

“He didn't say dead. He said extinct.” Steve repeated, and __ nodded. 

“Ultron said ‘evolution’, that we can’t protect the world if we don't change, and how else to change but… evolve ? Is this like some sort of big bang, evolutionary plan ?” she questioned, but who could offer an answer but Ultron himself ? 

“He also said he killed somebody.” Clint pointed out and everyone thought back to people who might have been present at the scene besides those present in the lab. 

“But there wasn't anyone else in the building…” Maria pondered. Tony speaks for the first time, a frown tugging on his features. 

“Yes there was.” he countered, bringing up a holographic image of Jarvis’ conscious, destroyed, torn apart at the expense of Ultron's rage. __ frowned similarly. Though not as damaging as a corpse, the discovery still had an effect on her. As coadjutors to the creation of Ultron, __ and Bruce felt an itch of guilt. 

“This is insane.” Bruce commented, already wishing the subject to retreat into the pile of completed matters. 

“Jarvis was the first line of defense. He would’ve shut Ultron down, it makes sense.” Steve reasoned. 

“No, Ultron could've assimilated Jarvis. This isn't strategy, this is...rage.” Bruce argued, reminiscent about the effects of rage, familiar with the aftermath of its destruction. As Bruce finished, Thor who had returned from trailing the legionnaire, was in Tony's face and grabbing him by the throat, lifting him up and off of his feet. 

“Woah, woah, woah ! It's going around !” Clint yelled, but Tony looked less worried. 

“Come on. Use your words, buddy.” Tony dictated as best as he could past the hard grip around his windpipe. Thor merely kept an angered, pointed look on Tony's face. 

“I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark.” he gritted out. Steve, in order to break up the extremely heavy tension and to receive an update, interjected, causing Thor to drop Tony back onto his feet. 

“Thor ! The Legionnaire !” Thor's grasp on Tony's neck fell, and Tony gasped for his bearings. 

“Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again.” Thor regarded Tony in a bilious manner. After coming to Earth just to bring back the long lost item to Asgard, he had a right to be a little peevish. 

“The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron.”

“I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us ?” Helen inquired confusedly. It was true, the program had been created to protect the Earth, but it seemed to have very different ideas on how to accomplish the task. Tony, as if he had heard a joke, bursts out into laughter, startling __ with his reaction. Bruce shakes his head, a silent signal to cease his humorous actions to an unhumorous situation. Thor watches, almost unbelievingly, as Tony's laughter fills the lab. 

“You think this is funny ?” he questions and he thankfully answers negatively. 

“No, it’s probably not, right ? Is this very terrible ? Is it so… is it so… it is. It’s so terrible.” Tony conceded.

“This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand.” Thor admonished.

“No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this.” Tony fixes his answer after having heard Thor's statement. 

“Tony, maybe this might not be the time to…” Bruce implored, hoping to diffuse the situation, at least by a small amount. Though Tony disregards his objective.

“Really ?! That's it ? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls.” 

“Only when I've created a murder bot.” Bruce justifies, but Tony does not agree. 

“We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?” 

“Well, you did something right. And you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD.” Tony was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. 

“Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole ?” Tony reminded.

“No, it's never come up.”

“Saved New York ?”

“Never heard that.”Rhodey answered. 

“Recall that ? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there ? That's...that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that ?” __ softened her gaze, not that she was ever angry at him. She found it hard to stay mad at her friends, especially when they thought they were doing the right thing. Tony was voicing his fears and insecurities. It was almost… odd. But everyone has fears and they come to light eventually. 

“Together.” Steve responded but Tony had less confidence in their ability. 

“We’ll lose.” He said, a bitter edge to his tone. 

Then we'll do that together, too.” Tony stares at Steve for a moment, before turning away from the conversation. “Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller.” 

Everyone shared a few goodnights and last words before retreating to their floors but __ regarded no one but Tony who sat in a spinning chair, facing the glass that overlooked the newly destroyed party venue. Steve came to ask her if she would like to board the elevator with him, but she politely refused his offer. 

“I’ll be a few minutes, you are welcome to go without me if you’d like.” Steve drew his eyebrows in confusion. He followed her gaze to Tony and nodded. 

“I’ll wait, take as long as ya want.” He whispered before stepping out the lab entrance. As soon as he closed the door, she started towards her friend, dragging a chair along with her, rolling along the glass floor. The chair came to a stop next to his, __ taking a seat, settling into the cushion. She focused on the mellowness, flowing it out and pressing the sensation into Tony's senses. He sighed and sank into his chair as well. 

“I won’t give up on you.” __ said in small whisper and Tony turned his head. 

“I don’t want you to stop trying to do the right thing, Tony. Please don’t give up on me. Don’t give up on us. You don’t have to accept me, but just know that I accept you and what you stand for. So, I won’t give up on you.” She finished, and for a long minute Tony was quiet. Silent, no sign that he even heard what she said. She stared for a minute, holding out for a response, but when it did not come, she told him good night, a hand patting his shoulder. He caught her fingers, for nothing but two seconds, before letting go. 

“I saw…” He began, but stopped shortly after. She didn't need to know. Probably didn't want to know either.  
“Thanks.” He muttered. She sighed and welcomed him to talk with her whenever he needed. He nodded stiffly and when he made no move for the door, she swept her blanket onto his shoulders. 

“Goodnight, Tony.” She said and he stiffly nodded again, his line of sight settling on the blanket draped over his shoulders. She felt happy at his small smile, that she didn't think was intended for her viewing. She and Steve made their way to their respective rooms before bidding each other goodnight, retreating to their beds for what rest they could get. 

 

From one second to the other, in succession, Steve found himself, fighting the towering metal figure of Ultron and the Maximoff twins. And then he was thrust into a familiar, yet unfamiliar scene.  
It was a dancehall, a big band playing on the stage, an old and young swing theme. His eyes don’t believe, but the sound is there and so are the sights of soldiers returned from the war, dancing and laughing; red, white, and blue coloring the decorations in the hall. Something he would never get to experience. He himself is in uniform, watching the others drink and rejoice in their thankfulness to be home. His eyes sweep over to a corner, a lonely table for two was empty and in the next moment, two passing dancers reveal that it is now occupied by the familiar form of Bucky Barnes, sitting with a girl on his lap. Closer inspection shows the face of Temulentia, wearing 40’s garb herself, a floral printed dress and soft cream pearl earrings attached to her ears. Her legs are crossed demurely over his thigh, red lips parting in a laugh at what was most likely Bucky telling some of his good jokes. She sees him staring and smiles in a coy fashion. Suddenly, the dancers pass again, showing for a moment, the Winter Soldier, sitting with Temulentia on his lap, dressed in the garment she was wearing when they first met, her stomach rounded out with a growing life inside. A gloved hand, made of metal, glinting in the lights, is wrapped around her waist as she leans into the man who stares at him coldly. His arms protectively curl around __ and then it is gone as quick as it had come, the dancers, once more passing in front. The scene returns to her dressed in kitty heels and bright red lip rouge and his friend, wearing his uniform, laughing along with her. Before he could approach them, Peggy comes seemingly from nowhere. 

“Are you ready for our dance?” Steve looks back to the table and it is empty again, his friends which occupied it only seconds ago, nowhere in sight. Peggy watches expectantly and he takes her to the floor for their dance. 

“The war's over, Steve. We can go home. Imagine it!” She gushed, classic red lips drawn in her charming smile. All at once, the dancehall is empty and he can see himself dancing with Peggy in the eerily dreary room. 

 

__ mixes the brand new jar of her favorite spread around, mixing the hazelnut oil with the chocolate. Carefully, she spreads some on a slice of banana bread, drizzling warm honey, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and then spraying an inappropriate amount whipped cream on top. The result is terrifyingly and illegally delicious. But before she can even smell it, a notification pops up on her phone from a news app. ‘The Hulk and more on the chaos in Wakanda’. Is there a time when her friends aren't ruining other people's lives, yet somehow saving them ? She sighs and decides to ignore the matter, too concerned with something else. She prepares another and takes both plates with her Sam's room, natural light flooding the decorated walls. 

“Hi Sam, did you want some banana bread ?” she said, entering the room, the door already open. Sam watched the T.V. mounted on the wall, a concerned crease in his brow. She set the plates on the desk and turned to watch the news on the screen as well. 

“And- uhh- here we can see the Hulk, also known as Scientist, Dr. Bruce Banner, being subdued, by Mr.Stark.” the reporter announced, rapid messages scrawling in the bars underneath. Another reporter thanks him for the report and they switch back to the studio to discuss the aftermath of the situation. 

“Thank you, Marco. We will continue after this short bre-” The T.V. suddenly turns black as it shuts off. Sam throws the remote back onto his bedside table, Jarvis no longer here to aid in simple mundane tasks. Oh, what would they do without him ? __ sighed, just a little very worried for her friends. They always seemed to find trouble; or did it find them ? She handed Sam his plate as he sat down on the bed. 

“Oh my sweet jesus, I can’t decide if you’re a good friend or not !” He said, eyeing the dessert like the love of his life. __ frowned.

“What do you mean ?” She asked, a faltering tone sinking into the weight of her words, and he did a double take, smiling and then, smiling a little softer. 

“You make all of this… food. To show that you care and it's great and I think I’ve gained, like twenty pounds in the past week.” He said around a mouthful of chocolate and banana bread.  
“But it is A-ok with me ! Make more !” He said, already moving to eat more. She giggled as he nearly ate the fork trying to eat so fast. 

“Then I shall make more.” she nodded, taking a bite herself.  
“So, what cake should I make for the team when they come back ?” she asked, setting the practically clean plate back on the desk. A vibrating sensation surprises her as she reaches for her phone. The notification shows from an unknown source, no app listed. 

-LAB 

The word is the only one on the entire notification bar. __ stands and apologizes to Sam for leaving so soon. Rushing up the stairs, she steps into the lab, a mess of hard copies, manilla folders, and filing boxes. Clearing away a box of folders and reports, she uncovers a non-Jarvis operated monitor, her prefered medium of art. 

“I’ve always loved you more.” She murmured, sweeping away papers and removing the chair from underneath the desk. She logged in and plugged her cellular device with the USB cord, a window with her phone screen opens and she clicks on the notification. The action pulls up some kind of primitive messaging board, her phone screen turning off. The backdrop is black and there is a green flashing bar, indicating typing space. Just before she types something, a line of bright green binary code shoots across the top, startling her just a bit. The flow ceases and then words begin to appear. NEXUS, ULTRON, show up letter by letter on the screen between more lines of code. She types her name in all caps and the word YES appears. The letter J is typed over and over, one message line at a time. Then it becomes JARVIS. The screen blacks out and before she can turn it back on, it turns on again, a message appearing. STOP ULTRON. NEXUS @ JARVIS. And then the screen conks out altogether. With a growing sense of revelation and realization, __ grabs her phone from the wire and flies down the stairs and into her room. Jarvis had to be talking, or rather, typing about The Nexus in Oslo, the heart of the internet. Jarvis was still alive, and he was calling her. She had to respond, after all, she was never the type to let down her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for Reading ! 
> 
> Love you !


	26. Temulentia 26.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WAZZZZZZAAA. k so here is chapter 26 ! Hope you guys enjoy it, cheers to the first chapter of the summer ! It's Very long, just for you guys. I have another project that I'm kinda alternating on, so hopefully, I'll update more often, but not sure bout that. 
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 26 !

Oslo was a great place. If you liked the cold, snowy landscape of Norway. Teeth chattering, fingers numb, what a winter wonderland. Of course, __ forgot that no one really knew who she was and could not get in with her non-existent fame. With the help of Sam, she got a plane ticket and someone to pick her up from the airport, and some directions from natives took her to the NEXUS, but getting in, however, was a different story. 

“I am very sorry, ma’am, but we cannot just let anyone inside, you must have clearance.” said the woman, her lilting accent going over her sentence. She gave a fake apologetic glance and returned to what __ knew was pretending to do something else. 

“I understand, but the matter is very urgent, I have-” Then someone walked into the lobby. Their footsteps clicked along the tiled floor, abruptly stopping in their place. __ turned around, the sight of Tony causing relief to sigh from her lungs. 

“Temulentia ? What the hell are you doing here ? Nat is going to kill me, and Steve and-” he tried to continue but was interrupted by her slapping a hand over his mouth. 

“I’ve never been happier to see you, Tony !” He began to speak again but she continued talking. The receptionist stood in silence, weirded out by the two people in the lobby. “But now is not the time. Jarvis, he’s still alive ! He said he’s trying to stop Ultron. I tried calling you but you didn’t pick up, so Sam helped me get here.” 

“Wait, what do you mean, ‘Jarvis is still alive’ ?” Tony whisper-yelled, noticing the receptionist eyeing them. 

“I don’t know, what do you think I’m here for ?” She disclosed, taking his palm in her own and dragging him to the receptionist, “Now, tell her to let us in, Mr. Stark.” she teased. He smirked, beginning to introduce himself. Once the woman heard who he was and approved his identification, she let them inside of a long corridor, a few technicians coming out to show them where to go. 

“What happened with you guys, you didn't answer any of my calls.” She asked, walking down the corridor, footsteps echoing around. 

“Bruce hulked out, The Maximoff twins beat everyone's ass, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, ya know, the usual. And then Barton took us to his little farm in the middle of nowhere, Fury showed up and told us there was someone out there fighting against Ultron, I think what hasn’t happened is a better question.” he sighed tiredly. “It’s been a long couple of days.”__ nodded. 

“Well, I came because Jarvis sent me a message, creepy, but effective. I’ve looked into it. Traces of Ultron are all over missile and nuclear codes all around the world, but someone keeps locking him out of everything, changing the codes faster than Ultron can try to break them.” She elaborated, the door to the main room swinging open, revealing the sprawling room of databases and flickering lights, the blue glow of all of the computers casting across the entirety of it. 

“A hacker who’s faster than Ultron ?” Tony recited and as the technicians showed him where he could get started. “He could be anywhere. And as this is the center of everything, I’m just a guy looking for a needle in the world's biggest haystack,” he said while her eyes searched around, taken by anything she could set her eyes on. 

“How do you find it ?” One of the technicians asked. 

“Pretty simple. You bring a magnet.” He explained. __ furrowed her brows before watching him begin his search as he begins to hum a song. Tony pulls up a page that shows a big ‘access denied’ box. Another page is brought up, lines of codes and commands starting to decode the access denied page, decrypting the codes. He was decrypting the nuclear codes to attract the attention of the hacker, who __ was convinced was Jarvis. He needed help to piece himself back together, to help against Ultron. 

“Oh, I’m decrypting nuclear codes and you don’t want me to. Come and get me.” 

After 20 minutes of hacking and typing, just when __ was about to ask for a chair, Tony exclaimed loudly, startling her. 

“Aha ! It is Jarvis, ol’ thing’s still kickin’, Temulentia, you were right !” He yelled, and she glared. 

“I’m standing right next to you, Tony,” she grumbled, cuddling into her anorak. “Can we go back home, now that I have been proven inevitably correct ?” She whined, looking at the door longingly. Tony nodded and placed a hand on the small of her back. 

“Did you make some cake for the- uh- mission we went on ?” He asked trying to keep the excited edge out of his voice and __ smiled. 

“Of course.” 

After landing at the tower, __ threw her coat on a chair in the lounge. 

“Too much… Activity.” She muttered, dropping into her usual huddle of sweater in the corner of the couch. ___ was much too uncomfortable and decided to change into lighter clothes, hoping to relax a little more. After a nice long bath and a new sweater, she felt a lot better, curling up on the couch, just about to drift off into the ocean of dreams. Just then, her phone started ringing. 

“Tony, I was trying to-” she complained. __ was very ready to throw her phone down the elevator shaft. 

“Temulentia, I need you in the lab ASAP ! Cap, Nat, and Barton are after the cradle and I need your help with Jarvis !” He yelled over something clanging on the floor. “Oops.”

“Wait, the cradle ! Dr. Cho's cradle ?” She reluctantly peeled the blanket off, placing her socked feet on the cold floor. “Tony, I’m tired…”

“Yeah ? So am I. C’mon they're gonna be here soon, so we wanna start working on putting Jarvis back together- Temulentia, are you listen-” As much as __ wanted to go back to sleep, she had to be there for her friends any way she could be right now. She had to stay strong. 

“Okay, I’ll be there. Just, hold on.” She said quietly and hung up just when Tony was going to respond. She rushed to her room, putting on actual shoes pulling her hair back. She sighed and briskly made her way to the lab. 

Tony looked up as she entered, waving her over to a workstation. 

“We have our work cut out for us, but we got this.” He slung an arm around her shoulder, hoping to ease some of the exhaustion out of her system. She smiled a little, appeasing his concern. She nodded, sitting in a chair nearby. He explained what was on the monitor and she nodded once more. 

“Jarvis scattered all of the essentials, but if we reform it, we can build on top of this.” They discussed programs and data and after several hours of typing, reworking, and reconfiguring, most of Jarvis was present. __ stood and tried to walk on her sore thighs for awhile but she gave up, sitting back on her chair. Several more hours of work and cups of coffee, Tony, and __ had pieced together what they could of Jarvis and Clint returned with The Cradle in the Quinjet, alerting them of Nat's absence. Bruce stood in the lab, eying the cradle, __ sipping on some lavender tea, which was doing almost nothing for her worry. Her scent could calm others but sometimes she wished it was the other way around. 

“Anything on Nat ?” He crossed his arms, trying not to seem as worried as he actually was. Nat had talked about how ‘adorkable’ Bruce was, and, yes Bruce was a giant dork, but Nat would help balance out all of that dork. 

“Haven't heard. But she’s alive. Or Ultron'd be rubbing it in our faces.” __ nodded in agreement. If Ultron really did kill Nat, he would have probably sent some disturbing image, or some other horror conjured in his artificial brain. Clint jumped from over the top of the Cradle, glancing over the top of it.

“This is sealed tight.” 

“We’re going to need to access the program, break it down from within.” Bruce stepped towards a monitor swiping away a screen. 

“Hmm. Any chance Natasha might leave you a message, outside the internet, old school spy stuff?” __ nodded, fiddling with the pendants on both of her chains. 

“Nat won’t be able to contact us through anything too modern, but she will go through any means necessary.” She whispered, hoping her friend was unharmed, tugging on her lip with her teeth in subtle worry for Nat's well-being. 

“There's some nets I can cast. Yeah, alright. I'll find her.” Clint went down the stairs, exiting the lab, already running through options in his mind. 

Bruce studied the Cradle again before looking at Tony and __. 

“I can work on tissue degeneration if you guys can fry whatever operational system Cho implanted.” He looked at both of them, Tony looking the most suspicious. 

“Yeah, about that…” __ tilted her head, furrowing her brows. Bruce, however, did not share her curiosity. 

“No.” He refused, knowing Tony's thought process. 

“You have to trust me.” He turned to __ who only gave him her hesitance. 

“Kinda don’t” Bruce backed away from Tony's advancement but __ shot him a glare. 

“It's not that I don't trust you, I just want you to know that Bruce and I think that it’s not a… great idea.” 

“Not even a good idea. It's a bad idea.” Bruce added. But Tony still had hope. 

“Our ally ? The guy protecting the military's nuclear codes ?”Tony flicked his phone up, the orange circular hologram of Jarvis’ conscious for Bruce to see. “Temulentia and I found him.” Jarvis as always greeted Bruce and __ politely. 

“Hello, Dr. Banner, Ms. Vasnetsov.” He responded. __ smiled at the sight of the very well missed polite AI. Tony continued his point through Bruce's doubt. 

“Ultron didn't go after JARVIS cause he was angry. He attacked him because he was scared of what he can do. So JARVIS went underground. Okay? Scattered, dumped his memory. But not his protocols. He didn't even know he was in there until Temulentia and I pieced him together.” 

“Perhaps it’s not a completely horrible idea, I mean, if Jarvis is Ultron's worst enemy, then if we give him a physical form like Ultron, he could help us defeat him.” Tony grinned. Bruce slapped his hand to his forehead and shook his head. 

“See ? She gets it ! So can you.” Tony gestured to __. 

“So, you guys want me to help you put JARVIS into this thing?” Bruce pointed to both of them, then to himself, to Jarvis and finally to the Cradle. He gave them both an incredibly doubtful expression over the Cradle, hoping for them to rethink it. 

“No, of course not!” And for a second, Bruce was relieved, but this is Tony, so he did that on purpose. “We want to help _you _put JARVIS in this thing.” He shook his head for the millionth time today, almost unbelieving of his friend's proposal. “We’re out of our field here. You know bio-organics better than anyone.”__

__“I don't know my way around it as well as you do, Bruce. It might just work.”_ _

__“Might. And you just assume that JARVIS' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?” He repeated, tone still full of doubt._ _

__“JARVIS has been beating him from inside without knowing it. This is the opportunity, we can create Ultron's perfect self, without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality. We have to.” Tony pleaded, searching for a chance to redeem himself. The whole team had lost trust in Tony because of Ultron and the results, so to start another project was risky. Especially one that could easily go wrong. But __ held out her hope._ _

__“No, I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop, this is exactly where it all went wrong.” Bruce censured throwing his arms out in exasperation. It had started with Tony and his dream to create something to protect the world for us. Something more powerful than them. Because he knew something even bigger than the Chitauri and Loki would come. He was afraid that the Avengers wouldn't be enough. __ could understand his fear and his need for redemption and decided to support his idea. Though after the Ultron thing, it would seem like a bad idea but seeing Jarvis and his ability to work faster than Ultron, putting him in physical form could be the last shot they had. At this point, there was nothing that anyone could say or think that wasn't already obvious about the creation of Ultron._ _

__“I know, I know. I know what everyone's going to say, but they're already saying it. We're mad scientists.” Tony gripped Bruce's shoulder. “We're monsters, buddy. You gotta own it. Make a stand.” Bruce shook his head, but __ knew him enough to know that he was thinking about it. “It's not a loop. It's the end of the line.”_ _

__Bruce switched his focus between them, __ fiddling with her nails, eyes staring directly into his, and Tony watching expectantly for an answer. Bruce brought his forefinger and thumb to the bridge of his nose. He sighed exaggeratedly before turning away, and then, a grin broke out on Tony's face._ _

__“Don’t make me regret this.” He muttered reluctantly and Tony clapped his hands._ _

__“Let's get started.” __ smiled and Bruce only sighed, already seeming to regret it._ _

__“Steve and Thor are gonna be so pissed.” he whispered, trudging back to his workstation._ _

____ flitted around the room, programming and reconfiguring Jarvis’ systems as much as she could to make him fit into the body that Ultron intended for himself._ _

__“You almost done ?” Tony asked, turning from his own screen as she nodded vaguely._ _

__“Almost, I just have to…” She trailed off, typing more code. Bruce plugged in tubes to the Cradle, making progress on the physical form, Tony sorted through papers, the fluttering noise spreading throughout the room._ _

__“This framework is not compatible,” Tony announced, his fingers typing away at the keyboard. Bruce put his attention to the ever growing percentage on the data projection._ _

__“The genetic coding tower's at ninety-seven percent. You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes.” __ nodded, about to get started on properly applying the schematics before Steve and the Maximoff twins appeared in the lab, Steve absolutely livid._ _

__“I’m gonna say this once.”_ _

__“How about ‘nonce’ ?” Tony riposted, Steve, becoming more and more irritated by the second. __ stood idly, twirling a finger around a wire, eyes flicking between them._ _

__“Shut it down !” Steve shouted, Tony totally unfazed by his command._ _

__“Nope, not gonna happen.”_ _

__“Steve, this could really work. Just give it a chance.” She murmured, shrinking in the harsh glare he was shooting at Tony. His gaze softened for a moment, jaw stiffening, remembering what Tony was really working on._ _

__“You don't know what you’re doing.” He insisted._ _

__“And you do ? She’s not in your head ?” He accused, gesturing to the brunette woman who entered with Steve. She was Wanda Maximoff, her brother Pietro standing beside her. She stepped out from behind Steve in response Bruce's accusations._ _

__“I know you’re angry.”_ _

__“Oh, we're way past that. I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade.” Bruce said coldly, his eyes just as cold, entirely different than what __ was used to._ _

__“Banner, after everything that's happened…” Steve tried his hand at convincing Bruce to leave Tony alone in his endeavors again, but Tony knew better than to let him succeed._ _

__“That's nothing compared to what's coming !” Tony exclaimed._ _

__“You don't know what's in there !” Wanda contended her point._ _

__“This isn't a game…” Steve looked between all three of them but __ shook her head._ _

__“Who said it was ?”_ _

__“The creature-” Suddenly a whirlwind blew through the lab so quickly, and when everything settled just as quickly as it started, all of the equipment and wires were disconnected from the Cradle, Pietro throwing the last onto the floor._ _

__“No, no. Go on, you were saying ?” He looked at everyone as if he had done nothing. __ squealed as Clint shot a bullet through the glass pane Pietro was standing on, the glass shattering, the Sokovian falling through._ _

__“What ? You didn't see that coming ?” Wanda shouted her brother's name and one of the monitors flashed the alert for the power failure ad Tony rushed to it._ _

__“I’m rerouting the upload.” Steve threw his shield, the vibranium crashing into several surfaces around the lab. __ backed up, away from pieces of Tony's suit and the shield. Tony blasted Steve back, preventing him from slowing the process. Wanda began to step forward, red smoky energy appearing in her hands but Bruce stopped her from taking further action, placing her in a chokehold. __ ran to the screen reporting the loss of power, biding more time._ _

__“Go ahead, piss me off.” __ backed up from the two, Clint pushing her behind him, cocking his gun. Steve and Tony attacked each other, throwing each other backward, Tony crashing into a glass all. Wanda elbowed Bruce, using her powers to get Bruce to stand back. Thor stepped into the lab, jumping on top of the Cradle. Everyone turned to look as he gathered power to his hammer, electricity spiking and sparking in the room._ _

__“Wait !” Bruce yelled but Thor did not listen, putting his hammer on the surface of the Cradle, bringing the form to life like some sort of Frankenstein creation. Blue lightning lit up the room, the monitor showing that Thor was restoring power to the Cradle. For a second everything was still, but __ ducked as something burst from inside of it. She slowly rose from her position, coming up to peer at a man with vibrant red skin crouched over the edge of the Cradle, metal detailing glinting all over his body in the light. He slowly stood as well, examining his surroundings. His eyes settled on Thor, flying towards him. Thor grabbed the man and threw him through the glass wall overlooking the lounge._ _

__The man came to a stop in front of a window, staring out into the New York City lights, like she had once done, a stranger to the world, and the world a stranger to her, the people, the sounds, the lights, the world. Thor and Steve approached, but Thor put his hand out, stopping Steve from coming any closer than he already was. __ observed the man, his eyes focusing on his own reflection in the window. Thor placed his hammer on the coffee table, __ slowly descending the stairs with Bruce. A dark blue-green color speckled onto his red skin, acting as a form of clothing. He floated to the floor, landing gently on the floor._ _

__“I'm sorry, that was...odd.” The man had a glimmering yellow stone on his forehead and the voice of Jarvis, smooth, British, and forever polite. He looked to Thor, nodding in appreciation. “Thank you.” Before her eyes, a metallic object creates itself on around his shoulders, a silk-like cape of yellow draping down behind him._ _

__“Thor, you helped create this ?” Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion._ _

__“I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life,” Thor informed and then pointed at the yellow gem fastened to the man's forehead. “And at its center is that.” Bruce stepped forward, __ following._ _

__“What, the gem ?”_ _

__“It's the Mind Stone. It's one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.” Steve looked even more confused now._ _

__“Then why would you bring it to-” Steve was interrupted by Thor who admitted Tony was correct. __ nudged him with her elbow, her grin spread across her face. He smirked as they high-fived, everyone looking at them for a second before Bruce who watched them disapprovingly, spoke out._ _

__“Oh, it's definitely the end times.”_ _

__“The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron.”_ _

__“Not alone.” The man walked forward, as did Steve._ _

__"Why does your "vision" sound like JARVIS?"_ _

__“We...we reconfigured JARVIS' matrix to create something new.” Tony neared his creation, moving aside as the man kept walking._ _

__“It would make sense that he sound like Jarvis.” She commented, the man gazing down at her. His eyes were… beautiful, different colors, something in them, so inexplicable in nature._ _

__“I think I've had my fill of new. ” Steve said gruffly, his tired annoyance making itself known in his tone._ _

__“You think I'm a child of Ultron?”_ _

__“No, you are your own.” __ watched as the man turned to look at her again, an emotion akin to surprise flitting behind them, the words settling into his mind._ _

__“Wait, You’re not ?” Steve asked._ _

__“I'm not Ultron. I'm not JARVIS. I am...I am my own.” He regarded __ for a second, nodding his head only once. Wanda drew near to the man._ _

__“I looked in your head and saw annihilation,” Wanda remembered._ _

__“Look again.” he quipped._ _

__“Yeah. Her seal of approval means jack to me.” Clint scoffed. Wanda looked away at Clint's scathing remark._ _

__“Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they're nothing compared to what it can unleash. But with it on our side-” Thor enlightened before Steve cut in. With the power that he was describing, if Ultron had kept the stone, things would have ended in annihilation._ _

__“Is it ? Are you ? On our side ?” Steve interrogated._ _

__“I don't think it's that simple.” The man gave his vague reply._ _

__“Well, it better get real simple real soon.”_ _

__“I am on the side of life. Ultron isn't, he will end it all.” He finally answered._ _

__“What's he waiting for?” Tony asked._ _

__“You.” It was obvious, Tony had made Ultron and seemed to hate him for it. Bruce queried as to where and Clint told him, Sokovia, where Ultron was also holding Nat. Bruce closed in on the man, his voice dropping an octave._ _

__“If we’re wrong about you... if you’re the monster that Ultron made you to be…” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, __ warily shuffling forward, feeling the exhaustion after hours of work._ _

__“What will you do ?” His eyes switched around the faces in the room. “I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster.” He raised his hands up to his own view, scrutinizing them as if he were checking for the monstrosity on himself. “I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go.” Everyone gaped at the sight of the man lifting Thor's hammer from the coffee table, holding it out to him nonchalantly. Thor ogled the hammer the man held in his hands before grabbing it, a suspicious expression sneaking up. He furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes._ _

__Eventually, he walked away from Clint, whose jaw was practically on the floor. __ felt kinda jealous. Though she had moved it just a little, she hadn't picked it up like that._ _

__“Right.” He patted Tony on the shoulder, following the man out. “Well done.” Steve watched them leave before turning to the rest of the group._ _

__“Three minutes, get what you need.” Everyone sprung into action, splitting up to gather their equipment. As everyone got ready, __ wandered over to Steve. He smiled as she came close._ _

__“I felt like I haven't seen you in ages.” She smiled back._ _

__“Yeah, it's been… a while,” he said, sighing, sitting on the edge of a lounge chair._ _

__“How are you doing ?” She asked softly, sitting beside him. He looked at her then at his own hands, mostly covered by his fingerless gloves._ _

__“Im.. ok, I guess.” He wrung his hands. She shook her head._ _

__“I’m tired.” She whispered._ _

__“You should be asleep. It’s past your bedtime.” He chuckled as she yawned at the mention of bedtime._ _

__“I could say the same about you. How old are you now ?” She raised her eyebrows in a teasing motion and he scoffed. “Fine. But I’m still gonna be there to see you guys off. I hope you like chocolate cake.” She murmured._ _

__“You know I’ll eat it anyway. I’d probably still eat it if I was allergic to chocolate.” She giggled. Finally, it was time for them to go to Sokovia and defeat Ultron._ _

__“Are you sure you guys don’t want any cake ?” She said, wrapping her arms around Tony. He hugged her back, grinning._ _

__“Wait… Cake ?” She hugged Bruce who patted her back gently._ _

__“Yes Tony, cake. I told you I made some.” He bounced excitedly._ _

__“You know, if I die out there, my last meal… your cake…” He raised his hands, shrugging. She frowned, crossing her arms._ _

__“Not funny, Tony. You aren't going to die. But I will let you have cake before you go.” She turned her attention to the Maximoff twins who were whispering quietly to each other. “Would you like some as well ?” They glanced at each other before shrugging. The man with the gem put his hand out._ _

__“If you would excuse me, as much as I am sure we would like some, we have to leave for Sokovia as soon as possible.” He firmly spoke and she froze. Tony patted him on the back._ _

__“Nah, we always have time for cake.” Thor nodded._ _

__“It is quite the delicacy. Temulentia is a baker not to be challenged.” He said proudly, placing his hammer back on the coffee table. __ smiled, bringing the cake stand, a perfect chocolate cake sitting on top. She sliced it neatly, equal slices gently toppled over plates, a fork on each._ _

__“This is very good. So… spongy.” Pietro said dreamily, accent smoothing over the words. He ate the cake so quickly, she almost thought that she had never even given him a slice. He held out his plate for more, showing a dazzling smile. __ giggled, thanking him for the compliment, cutting another slice. Wanda nodded in agreement, tapping her fork over the dessert. Everyone thanked her for the cake and she beamed, happy to have such magnificent friends. She pushed her scent all around the room with her relaxation, Wanda eying her oddly. They all made their way to the Quinjet. __ hugged Steve, Bruce, and Tony again._ _

__“Stay safe and try not to get hurt. I’m talking to you, Steve.” He looked around as if she was talking to someone else, __ rolling her eyes. Tony chuckled._ _

__“Highly unlikely. But we’ll try not to bang ourselves up too bad.” __ watched as the Quinjet took off into the night, hoping for all of them to come back unharmed._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is welcome, 
> 
> Love You !
> 
> Thanks for Reading !


	27. Temulentia 27.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back, back again. 
> 
> Guess who's back, tell a friend.
> 
> Dear Readers, I have returned with another chapter. This one is also very long and concludes AOU, no ending credits scene, sorry. So yeah, Hope you guys like it, tell me what you think ! Have fun being an official Avenger !
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 27 !
> 
> Here are some translations...
> 
> Maman- means mommy in French.
> 
> Mon chou- means my cabbage, a term of endearment in French.

A very long nap had rejuvenated what it could for __, shuffling about in house slippers, she prepared herself a hot cup of coffee, too tired to make much else. She sighed and made her way to the piano. With a wet kitchen cloth, she swept broken shards of glass from the seat and the top of the covered keys of the piano. She sat at the leather cushioned seat, the brand meaning nothing to her. All that mattered was if she could play the thing. The polished white and black keys stared back at her, so shiny, she could nearly see her reflection in them. Her fingers tentatively came to one of the keys, lightly pressing into it like Dr. Paskiewicz taught her to, the weight of her arm pushing her fingers into the smooth surface of the key. The light tap sent a tinkling noise out, seeming out of place in the room full of shattered glass. Suddenly, a sharpness shot through her neck, into her brain. Her fingers began to move around the keys playing a song she had never heard before, guiding themselves seemingly by memory. Then the familiarity of it seemed to set in, images of sunlight filtering through curtains in a white room, taking up space in her thoughts. 

“Maman, I want to play the piano too !” a small child's voice rang out, high in pitch. An older woman with short curled hair sat at a grand piano playing a playful song, the notes jumping with the child. It was ‘Golliwogg's Cakewalk’ from Claude Debussy's Children's Corner collection. The song came to a fast end, her fingers discontinuing their movements atop the keys. 

“Of course, mon chou. I will teach you a song. I am sure you will like it.” The little girl rejoiced, clapping her chubby hands together. Looking out the window __ saw other homes, the detailing reminding her of something she could not place. The dream-like state of the outside faded into the distance. The room had tall ceilings, the walls painted white. The only thing in the room besides the black piano was a vase full of pink roses on a small table, a single drawer with a gold handles off to the side. The woman lifted the small child up on the seat. Her smile reminiscent of her own. Her nose, her eyes, her hair. The child resembled herself. It was herself… in a memory of the past. 

“I want to play. Because- because François can play, and Romain can play. I want to play !” the child maundered on. The woman chuckled, holding the little girl's fingers to the keys. 

“You will play with me, so you can feel what it’s like to play the piano like Romain,” she whispered, starting to play a song. __ looked out the window again at the sound of a car outside and when she looked at the piano again, an older girl sat alone at the piano, playing the same song. It was herself again, but she was older now, her mother nowhere in sight. A man about her age in the dream stood at the door of the room, leaning on the frame. Smoke from a cigarette obscured his face, unable to see past the collar and lapel of his sharp suit. The song slowly came to an end, and as she played the last note, clapping somewhere in the distance broke the dream. Her heads shot up, Maria Hill standing in full agent uniform by the hallway. 

“Hey, you’re really good !” __ smiled at the cheers. 

“Thank you. Was there anything you needed ?” She asked, standing to talk with her. 

“Yeah, Fury says he wanted you on the scene with Ultron, wanted me to ask if you were up for it,” she smirked. Fury was always planning something. Hopefully this time she could actually participate. 

“Ok, I’ll go with you. What does he have in mind ?” She furrowed her brows, eager to know what Mr. Fury had planned. 

“Oh, something dramatic.” they smiled at each other before __ left to her room to put on a jacket, zipping it over her sweater, rolling up the sleeves a little over her wrists. She took a deep breath, calming herself as much as she could. Maria and __ left to an old SHIELD base, where Fury stood over a bridge, watching technicians load things on a helicarrier. She gasped at the size, nearly touching the walls of the more than big storage space. Engineers, scientists, and technicians worked on rebooting the ginormous craft, voices, and buzzing of electricity and tools filling the space. 

“Nice of you to join us, Temulentia.” She smiled, coming to stand beside Mr. Fury. 

“Hello again, Mr. Fury. How was Europe ?” 

“So-so. Lots of bread, lots of Europeans,” he said, still looking over the railing at the helicarrier, weapons engineers loading missiles onto it. “You think you’re cut out for this kind of work this time ?” He glanced down at her, one eye peering at her. She turned up at him, grinning. 

“Of course, Mr. Fury. Always happy to help.” He nodded, leading her to the boarding station, Maria following close behind. Mr. Fury took the helm, logging in, placing his arms behind his back. She showed __ where to sit, next to a boy who seemed familiar. 

“Flower shop boy ?” she said out loud. Louder than she intended. He snapped his head up to face her. He blushed as she sat down next to him. The nearby specialists snickered, pointing at him to the others. 

“Uhhhh- yeah ! That’s me… How… Are you a SHIELD agent or something ?” she simpered, shaking her head no. 

“I haven't really got a title. I know Mr. Fury through mutual friends.” he looked confused for a moment. 

“Director Fury doesn't have friends. He has connections.” He corrected. She shrugged, typing away at the keyboard on her workstation console. She typed in the identification code and commands to check on weapons stock and energy storage. 

“Of course he does. Tony and Steve are great friends with Mr. Fury.” The man took off his glasses, a surprised and shocked expression taking over his features. 

“Tony and Steve… as in Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Iron Man and Captain America ?” She gave him an odd glance, Maria standing behind him. She glared down at the man while he waited for a response. 

“Frank, back to work. Temulentia, is he bothering you ? I can move him if you want ?” her tone becoming much gentler. __ shook her head. The man looked very nervous. He seemed like he was about to start shaking in fear.

“No, it’s fine, Maria.” Maria nodded, walking away. __ placed the earpiece in her ear, angling the microphone piece appropriately. “Sector 4 online.” She announced into the comms system, waiting for all ten to activate, lift off estimated in 5 minutes. She noticed the man twitching, then, twisting to face her. Frank, or flower shop boy, whispered her name, trying to get her attention. 

“So wait, you know Iron Man ?” She nodded, still working on getting the targeting systems online. The helicarrier finally began to lift off, 87 percent of the operational protocols activated. 

“Do you know the other Avengers ? I’ve always wanted to meet Black Widow-” he began to gush about her friends in a strange way she had never seen before. With a sharp glare from Maria, he quieted again. “That is so cool.” He muttered, pretending to go back to work. From the front of the helicarrier, the large glass panes letting in the light, __ could see, far off in the distance a floating chunk of earth, blasting off like a rocket. 

“What is that ?” Maria asked to no one in particular and __ put it together. 

“Ultron wanted the Earth to evolve, so he’s going to make his own meteor.” __ speculated, gazing at the slowly lifting land moving upward into the sky. As they came closer, comms from the team began to come in through the general comms on the helicarrier. __ relaxed, trying her best ease the worry for her friends out of her emotions. She felt a sense of determination come over her, her scent fanning out, affecting the others on board. She worked on getting the local sensors on, typing rapidly at her keyboard. 

“There are still civilians on that meteor. Prepare the lifeboats and get safety personnel on ‘em.” Everyone nodded, getting back to work on the order. They slowly came up to the floating piece of rock. 

“Temulentia. I understand if you don’t want to go, but… I know that your powers calm people down. It would really help if you could calm down the civilians, get them on the lifeboats faster. You would be risking your life, but-” Maria started offering a way out, but __ felt the need to help her friends again. When wasn't she feeling that way ?

“Yes. I will go. Just give me whatever I’ll need.” Maria nodded, leaving to call a person who could help her. Nat's voice came in on the comms, a hint of sadness tainting her tone.

“There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?” __ smirked as Mr. Fury spoke into his mic. 

“Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better.” The helicarrier leveled up to them, coming into view. From there, __ could see the desolate city, scared people fearfully waiting for rescue. “Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends and new ones too. She's dusty, but she'll do.” Mr. Fury disclosed about the helicarrier.

“Fury, you son of a bitch.” Steve cursed. 

“Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Mr. Fury teases, Maria announcing the altitude. 

“Hey, guys !” She giggled at what was probably the amazed faces of her friends. 

“Temulentia, what are you doing here ?” He asked in the comms. __ tsked. 

“I got bored of making the cake for you guys.” She laughed putting on one of the reflective jackets for the civilian security team, adjusting her comms device in her ear. With the help of another team member, she boarded lifeboat number 2, holding onto one of the rails as it fired up. 

“Lifeboats secure to deploy. Disengage in three… two… take ‘em out.” The doors to the outside of the helicarrier opened wide, the sun glaring down on her. They descended to the edge of the floating city, platforms attaching to the concrete. She gripped the handle of the weapon one of the weapons specialists gave her, relaxing, breathing in deeply. Her scent came out and rolled over the surrounding oxygen, tons of it spreading out in the thin air. Steve ran over to the other security team member before looking around suspiciously. 

“Hey, what are you doing down here ?! It was better when you were up there with Fury !” He said over the loud noise of the lifeboat. 

“Great to see you too, Steve. I’ll be fine.” She breathed out, putting the worry in the back of her emotions. He furrowed his brow and clenched his jaw. He shook his head, jabbing a finger in her direction.

“Just… Be. Careful.” He cautioned. She nodded, beaming at his approval. “You have no training for this, but-” She slapped his arm gently. 

“Get back out there, Steve. They need you !” She smiled. He hesitantly nodded, jogging off into the fray. She stepped off, waving people over and into the lifeboat. Women, men, and children of all ages boarded the lifeboat, filling up the maximum capacity. Soon, the lifeboat filled with people and she reported it, the helicarrier readying for the intake. __ stepped off, keeping the people indoors, away from Ultron's murderous robots. When the next lifeboat arrived, she helped the people into the seats, keeping them calm. Clint ran up to the helicarrier slowing down at the sight of her, seating a woman down onto one of the rows. 

“Costel ? We were in the market ! Costel ?!” __ nodded, pushing her calm vibe into the woman. 

“It’s ok, my friend will go and get him for you, ok ?” The woman blubbered on, a little quieter this time. 

“Thank you.” She croaked past her tears and __ gave her a serene smile.

“Of course.” She said, watching Clint run into the rubble. A Quinjet flew over nearby shooting bullets rapidly over Thor and Steve, quickly nearing Clint and the little boy. __ rushed over to a turret on the lifeboat, as Clint began to crouch over the little boy. She fired as fast as she could able to shoot out what she could of the weapon firing over Clint and the little boy. When she looked again, Pietro was on the ground, gasping for breath, and Clint was behind a car with the little boy. She was able to disarm Ultron, but not enough. Blood soaked through the runners clothing, staining crimson into the material. __ sprinted over to Clint and the little boy, kneeling beside Pietro. She checked for his pulse, his heart beating dangerously slow. 

“Clint, take the little boy back onto the lifeboat. Steve, wait for me.” Clint picked up the little boy, running back to the lifeboat. “Ok…” She whispered, gently flipping him over. So far, he had three gunshot wounds in his stomach. Which was bad, but, good. He would make it if she could do this right. She rolled up her sleeves and multiplied her distress levels, strengthening her scent to the max. She placed her wrist under his nose, bringing her pheromones into his system. He took a gasp of oxygen, his chest rising and falling feebly. Steve picked him up and ran back to the lifeboat, setting him carefully on the jacket she laid out on the floor of it. Clint laid tiredly on the row of seats beside them, bleeding from his side. 

“How are you doing Clint ?” she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder, flopped over the seats. 

“Oh, it’s been a long day.” he sighed. She scoffed, putting her attention back to Pietro. 

__ swept his hair away from his face, holding her wrist to his nose still. The pheromones almost worked like smelling salts keeping him conscious till she could get him a medic. 

“Okay Pietro, I need you to stay awake for me, can you do that ?” She whispered, smiling down at him despite her worry. He smiled weakly, nodding, just barely. She beamed, nodding back. “Be strong. Stay here with me.” She clutched his hand, reluctantly turning to a passing medic. Steve looked out over the demolished buildings, surveying for any civilians. What seemed like the last of them, plus a dog had made it, the wind blowing up the dust. Then the city plummeted at full speed, Steve jumping on the lifeboat expertly, just in the nick of time. __ watched in horror, realizing Wanda never made it back on. The location of many of her teammates seemed to be unknown. The chunk of earth fell down, jets engaging on the surface, pushing it even faster. 

For a few moments it seemed like the end. And then bolts of lightning shot into it, the vibranium core separating from the rock of the floating city. All at once, it shattered into pieces, the man with the gem flying up and placing an unconscious Wanda in one of the seats, disappearing back down, probably to help Thor and Tony. They made it back to the helicarrier, loading all of the unhindered civilians on, rushing out gurneys for those who couldn't walk. She helped the medic put Pietro on a gurney, taking him to the med bay. The medics helped Clint onto one as well, __ wiping at a dust stain on her cheek. Steves' hand fell on her shoulder, as to not startle her when he spoke. 

“You did well today.” He looked down at her proudly. She gave him a broad smile. 

“So did you. You were great out there.” She brought him into a hug, the smell of fire and dirt soaked into his uniform. When he spoke she could feel his voice vibrating in his chest, his hands sliding down her back.

“What did you do to Pietro ? To keep him awake ?” He asked, genuinely curious. 

“When I was still with Hydra, they used my smell to make the Soldie- James, fight better, by making me scared, or worried. It releases more adrenaline into the bloodstream, puts protective instincts into overdrive. It feels good to use what they gave me for good things.” She said softly. He didn't respond, pulling her closer into his form. Very slowly, they separated. Nat stood not far behind Steve. The red-haired woman smiled, tilting her head towards the candy smelling girl. __ grinned, running over to her. 

“Natasha !” __ threw her arms around her shoulders, on her tippy toes to put her chin on her shoulder. 

“Hey, I’ve missed you.” Her smile was a little bit sad and __ didn't see Bruce anywhere. Her questioning gaze spurred an answer from the woman. 

“Bruce is- uh, in stealth mode, somewhere… Not sure where…” She trailed off. __ expression softened, nodding. 

“Well, you guys were amazing.” Nat raised her eyebrows. She placed her hands on her hips. 

After getting checked by a nurse, who cleared her, the helicarrier touched down back at the old SHIELD base. The team kind of wandered off after that. Clint, having his gunshot wound treated, went back to his little farm, muttering something about needing a break. __ visited Pietro in the hospital, his sister, Wanda, hugging and kissing __ over and over. 

“Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you !” She cried, tears rolling down from her beautiful hazel eyes. Wanda clutched both of __ hands in a death grip, holding them to her heart. “Thank you so much.” __ giggled, squeezing Wanda's hands over her rings. “I thought he was-”

“I know. Your welcome, always.” She beamed at Wanda's gratefulness. Pietro watched from his hospital bed, the monitor beeping steadily beside him. 

“You are the angel who came and saved me.” he grated out, his throat rough from not speaking for a while. 

“No, I’m not an angel. My name is Temulentia.” she neared his bedside chair, so he didn't have to crane his neck. 

“Thank you. For saving me.” He whispered, gazing up at her kind eyes, her fragrance filling the space from her happiness. 

“Of course,” she whispered, grazing her fingers just under his I.V. __ left the hospital with Steve who told her that because the Avengers tower was compromised and needed some remodeling, Tony wanted them to move into the Avengers compound, a new sprawling base for new SHIELD agents in training, the main floors just for the Avengers and herself. __ left to the tower with Steve and Sam who had returned from Austria, chasing leads. __ sorted through all of her things, the others doing something similar. Tony had sent her a form so she could order new furniture. Her new room would have nearly double the space. Tony shrugged. 

 

“Hey, you deserve the best, what can I say ?” she shook her head, already knowing Tony's extravagant ways. With the help of Steve, __ had placed all of her stuff into the lounge for the movers, as he carried two boxes of clothes in both arms at the same time. She only carried a bag full of books, Sam behind her, placing one box on the floor. 

“Have to admit, kinda jealous,” he said, placing his forearm on her shoulder. They watched as Steve hustled back to grab more boxes. 

“Don’t be. I like you just the way you are. And you should too.” She said, tossing the bag of books on the couch. He smiled, chuckling a little. 

“You always know what to say to make me feel adequate.” Suddenly, Tony came from behind, slapping Sam on the back. He shouted out in surprise. 

“Let’s go, Wilson, Hustle !” Tony yelled. “Your stuff won’t move itself, ya know.” __ laughed as Sam tried to contain his annoyance, following Steve back to the hallway. __ pretend sniffled, tackling Tony in a hug. 

“Don’t leaaaaaaaaave !” she sobbed. 

“I don't wanna go either, but I'm beat. Too old for all this avenging.” he hugged her back, placing her back on the ground. “See you around, kid.” He patted her back softly. 

“I’m gonna miss you. Promise to visit ?” 

“Promise.” his eyes crinkled with a smile behind his sunglasses. __ felt the effect of the absence of her friends already, Bruce somewhere far away, Clint on his little family farm, a father of three, Tony returning to do conventions around the country, and Thor going back to Asgard. __ sighed wistfully. She really would miss them all. 

Pretty soon, everyone had their things gathered for the movers. On the way to the new compound in upstate New York, while searching for furniture, __ found a small listing for a vintage nightstand. It was dark brown, polished, very antiquated. The handle was gold, like in her dream. It was the table from the room in her dream. __ tracked the link to an estate sale, from a chateau in the south of France, not far from Marseille. A lot of the old vintage furniture was for sale, like a black grand piano, some other pieces, a few paintings, and even the vase from her dream. The last piece for sale was a large mirror, attached to a vanity. Luckily all of the items hardly fit the budget that Tony gave her. But he said ‘only the best’, right ? She confirmed the purchase, putting her phone down. 

__ spent the earlier part of the day of the exploring the new compound, its glass walls and natural lighting very… Tony. The kitchen was bigger and had better ovens. Which was suspicious. Lots of flour, baking powder, and soda. Even more suspicious. Today, Thor was leaving back to Asgard, so __ was going to send him back with some cake, but she wasn't sure if it was gonna make it through the Bifrost. If it couldn't, literally anyone else on the team would eat it. Just as she checked on it, Steve sent her a text telling her that Thor was going to be leaving soon. She placed three slices carefully into a Tupperware, snapping the sides closed. She walked out, right as Thor was going to go. 

“I do. Besides this one, there's nothing that can't be explained.” He patted Tony's chest, looking past Steve as she smiled. 

“Ah, just on time. I was going to ask if you wanted to take some of this. I understand if it won't make it through the Bifr-” 

“I would be honored to receive this gift from Temulentia, Midgard's most formidable baker.” His huge hands grabbed the box eagerly, holding it in one hand. __ crossed her arms. 

“Make sure to come back for more.” She offered, waving slightly as he lifted his hammer to the sky. Some sort of field formed around him, burning a design into the ground. 

“That man has no regard for lawn maintenance. I'm gonna miss him though. And you're gonna miss me. There's gonna be a lot of manful tears.” __ noticed Nat standing at the entrance of the compound, waving her over. She waved goodbye to Tony, he waved one hand at her, the other stuffed into his pocket. 

“Hey, wanna see Clints fat new baby ?” She grinned, __ coming close to see. “His name is Nathaniel.” She said, walking back to a platform inside. 

“So cute ! Looks just like… Actually, I’m not sure who he looks like.” Nathaniel babbled on the screen, Clint's voice coming through as well. The little baby shirt displayed his middle name to be Pietro and __ brushed her fingers over the screen of Nat's phone fondly. “But he is adorable,” Steve spoke somewhere behind them and they faced him at the same time, Nat sliding her phone away. 

“What are you two lookin’ at ?” 

“Clint's fat new baby.” They said in unison, __ pointing at Nat. 

“Jinx.” She giggled. Nat rolled her eyes. 

“C’mon, let’s get to work.” 

“Sorry, I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other's eyes.” She taunted. “How do we look ?” 

“Well, we're not the '27 Yankees,” Steve remarked, handing Natasha a tablet. She reviewed the contents, contemplating the characteristics and values of the new members. 

“We've got some hitters.” She responded, turning to Steve. 

“They're good. They're not a team.” 

“Let's beat 'em into shape,” Nat smirked, Steve, bursting through the double doors, glass windows and floors making up a garage. Rhodey's War Machine armor opened to reveal his face, Vision turning around to face them. Sam landed ever so gracefully on the floor, wings folding into the compartment attached to his back. Wanda floated down with the help of her powers, the glowing red energy between her fingers while Pietro sped in from the entrance, stopping beside his sister. Nat and Steve turned to __ who snapped her head up at the break in her distraction. 

“Was I supposed to- Oh, ok…” She rushed down the stairs, standing in between Vision and Sam. Steve looked down proudly. 

“Avengers, Assemble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is welcome and Thanks for reading !
> 
> Btw, the song you play on the piano that I never mention is Page D'album by Claude Debussy. 
> 
> here is a link- 
> 
> https://youtu.be/br7mFYkCGdc


	28. Temulentia 28.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning ? Good night ? Good Afternoon ? Well, good whereveryouare, I have another chapter for you, my dear readers ! Feel free to drop any criticism in the comments and any hugs in the kudos ! Sorry I've been gone for so long... Hope you like it anyway !
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 28 ! Lots of remembering going on. Also, can't tell if it's too OOC, so it's up to you.

Off, Behind a curtain of smoky lights and colors, the sound of a girl sifted through another mess of unrecognizable sounds. Metal clanged, footsteps fell on heavy grates, glass shattered. And somehow they sounded like wind through trees on a day in spring. The man with blue eyes tried to clear the smoke, waving it away. He took a few steps further, straining his eyes to see through it.

“My Soldier…” He tried to follow her into the smoke, her figure hardly visible in the cigarette-like smoke of his surroundings. He could know that voice anywhere. It was that honeyed girl, his sugar, the warmth of the sun and the light of the stars existed nowhere but beside her. She was affectionate and benign, her flowery ways and tranquil smiles lasting through the chaotic and tortuous rage and desolation. That overly sensitive feeling she left him with, weightless and heavy all at once, through her aroma. 

“Where are you ?” He asked into the darkness, wading out of the fog that clung to the floor. Then he was thrown into another dream, men dressed in black, covered in light body armor, matte black combat boots clearing the smoke around their legs. He moves forward with them, unquestioning of their direction. All three of them made their way closer and closer to a blearily gray hallway. It was nearly green, the overhead lights so disgustingly bright, he squinted. The men's boots stomped down the hallway, the tinkling sound of a piano floating out somewhere in the hallway. One of the doors was slightly ajar, the same kind of fluorescent light illuminating the inside of the room. But there seemed to be a dimness in the room, the lights not cutting into anything too harshly. All at once, the piano playing ended on a low tune and someone clapped a few times.

“Well done, Temulentia. At this rate, you’ll be done with the whole thing in three days !” The man spoke loud enough for him to hear, voice echoing in the still hallways. Finally, the guards dragged him close to see inside. There sat a girl, her hair draped down over her back. She turned around to face him and his eyes widened as she made direct eye contact. He could feel the magnetic stare she gave him, pulling him towards the jagged rocks of her sirenic sea. She tilted her head and stood from her seat. The guards still kept pushing him forward, her eyes following the movements. The guards stopped in front of a heavy metal door. It swung open inwards, grinding heavily, leaving scrape marks on the floor. They jostled him inside, shoving him, no regard if he fell on his face or not. Suddenly the lights went out, the caged emergency light flicking on. They shone dimly, their red glow the only source of light other than the moon from the grate in the ceiling. He turned to where she stared at them, turning her iris red. 

Closer and closer, step by step he neared her, her arms locked out to keep her upright. She released her sweet breath from her lungs, tilting her head up to peer directly into his eyes again. 

“What’s happening ?” Her voice was like a susurrate, almost too quiet to hear. Her fingers reached out, the sleeves of her sweater falling into them. They grazed his own, the contact causing a shiver to track down his spine. 

“The power has gone out. Are you afraid, little one ?” He mumbled, lifting both of their hands, his knee pressing into the mattress. Her body shuffled back to make room for him, their fingers still curled into each other. They laid down together, her presence, her scent covering him. Her other hand moved down his torso like dripping water, achingly sluggish, lingering even when they slid lower. 

“I’m not afraid. Not when you’re here.” she pressed her plush lips into his. He smiled and kissed her forehead. She gasped, touching the area he had kissed. 

“You can kiss other places too ?” she shot up from her place, her hands pushing into the mattress. He nodded, smirking. He had not bothered to get up. 

“Like here.” he kissed each pad of her finger. “And here.” he kissed her palm and repeated the phrase, placing a kiss on her wrist bone. Her smile widened, bouncing excitedly. Playfully, she placed kisses all over his face one after the other. Her kisses began to spread out over his jaw and cheek, on his nose, on his lips again. He chuckled, the laughter vibrating his chest. 

“I should have told you sooner.” He smiled as she laid another one on his nose. She sat over his abdomen, his hands resting on the tops of her thighs, metal fingers sending a chill into her warm skin. Her lips left kisses lower than jaw, starting to cover his neck. In a particularly sensitive spot, he grunted, his head tossing back to reveal more of his throat to her. 

“Did I hurt you ?” She inquired nervously, her hands sliding up his sides. He caressed her hand as it came close to his own. The warmth and size of his hands secured her, like how they encased her small digits in his palm. 

“No, малышка(malyshka), you can’t hurt me.” he taunted, his metal fingers gently brushing over her bare knee. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused for a moment. Her expression changed into a challenging glare, an evil little glint in her eye. She dove back to his neck biting the place she had just kissed, a fire beginning to start under his skin. His breathing was heavy in her ear, chest rising and falling sporadically. Temulentia’s lips were glacé with her saliva, temptingly puffy with how many kisses she had given him. Her teeth sank down into his flesh, leaving little indents, her teeth not leaving permanent marks. Saccharine lips parted to show pearly canines, spiking so softly onto the side of his throat, hoping to leave their sting in his flesh. He took in a shaky breath, little sounds of her kisses and love bites echoing in his mind, her hands so small, connecting with his cheek. A little laugh came from her swollen lips, leaving a last kiss on his own. 

“I love yo-” Light came crashing down on his paradise, cutting into his eyelids. The world around him split into pieces, collapsing in a cloud of smoke. Silence consumed the sound of his world.

He groaned, raising an arm to protect from the sun, sighing as he ran a palm over his face. His eyes finally cracked open, revealing the dreary abandoned house he was living in. There he lay, for at least twenty minutes, motionless, burning whatever sensations his dreams carried into his memory. The dirty old mattress underneath him creaked, sitting up to go into the kitchen. But first, he drew the curtains closed, so fast that he almost pulled them from the bar they were attached to. 

The kitchen was just as dusty as the rest of the dark house, the last time the lights were on might have been years ago. Far as his knowledge went, a company bought the derelict property but lost steam in renovating it, business slowing down, not enough to pay for the contractors. So they just left it, maybe to pick up the project the following year. 

But for now, it was where he slept. Kept his few possessions in a backpack by the door, non-perishables on the counter in the kitchen, rusty sink releasing a strange pungent smell. A toothbrush on the ledge by the sink in the cramped bathroom, travel sized bottle of the basic hygiene products. After his visit to the museum in D.C., he found some vital information about his own life. He was a part of the Howling Commandos, the only one to give his life in the line of duty. His name was James Buchanan Barnes, but a lot of people seemed to call him Bucky. Bucky was a war hero, gave his life to save the world, Hydra stole it to ruin it. The life Hydra scrubbed away with their complicated mind machines, locked away in the charred remains of their destruction on his mind, body, and spirit. James shook his head, opening the bag of snacks on the counter, leaning against it. Thoughts drifted away from his place, back to the dream, the kisses, the bite marks on his neck. It was her, the girl from the cemetery. Maybe if he had gone up to her, she would have kissed him. With her lips, her intoxicating, satin lips. On his neck, on his lips, anywhere, she could put them anywhere she pleased. As long as he could feel it, smell her on his skin. He wished he could be with her again. Her caring touch on the surface, imprinting their existence into his thoughts forever, unforgotten. She never rejected him, even when he got the inkling that she knew what he had done for Hydra. And now that she had seen the extent of his power, how would she feel ? 

Fear flooded him at the bitterness. He could hurt her, damage her, just like he had with her friends. Make her not want to love him anymore. Who knows if she still even loved him. Who in their right mind could love him ? A man so dark, steeped in blood, metal, and shadows. She had loved him. She gave him what she could without sureness of his last name, like a lot of women had back in his time. These times were different now, but the practice still existed, right ? 

Her trust, her friendship, her time; things he wouldn't even give himself if he were her.  
Hope glimmered in the deepness of his thought, masked under the weight of negativity. What Hydra had done for him. To think himself undeserving of anything good. Just as he was about to sink deeper, her whisper came to life, like the smoke in his dream, burning his eyes, filling his lungs, staining his clothes. He dipped his thoughts into her smell, lingering in the back of his mind. 

“I love you.” Dizziness swirled around before he snapped at the very surreal touch on his cheek. A shadowed touch to keep him from falling off the edge. He threw the bag of snacks back on the counter, snatching up his backpack. 

-

Throwing the bag on the scraped up dining room table, he lit a candle. Striking the matchbox once, the match lit up space around his metal hand, reflecting the calmly violent flame at the end of it. He lowered it to the wick of the candle, illuminating the kitchen to a point where it faded out into the dark of the cold and empty house. The silence followed into the short scratch of the match, the flame wavering on the wick. He sighed, and threw his boots up on the table, leaning back in his chair. Memories, vibrant and faded played one by one, out of order, augmented and blurry. He wished for the calm. He needed her calm. He needed her. 

-

__ sat in the leather spinning chair, the rest of the team sat around her in similar chairs. Steve stood at the front of the room, in full uniform. He was going over how each of their powers and traits would work on missions, both minor and major. __ was too busy thinking about her new memory she had recovered. That and being excited about her new furniture. She couldn't believe she had found it that easy. Perhaps it was coincidence or fate. Excitement also came at the anticipation of new memories resurfacing. Meanwhile, Steve started to clear his throat, watching her stare off into space, biting her thumbnail. He had a feeling she had not heard a single word he had said. 

“Temulentia, what did I say about biting your nails ?” he scolded, tapping two fingers on the table to direct her attention. Her eyes seemed a little less cloudy but she didn't turn to face him, taking her hand away from her mouth. 

“You told me to stop, or something like that.” She muttered. Steve sighed and at the sound, she snapped to face him. Steve usually didn't get too aggravated but __ wasn't ready to push and see. He raised an eyebrow, as she pretended like she had been listening. “You were saying ?” she tilted her head. 

“As I was saying,” he gave her a pointed look. “Vision, you can do lotta things, with that mind stone. We still gotta see how it works, though. Need to see how it’ll work in tandem with the rest of the team. Temulentia, you’ve got a lot of people oriented abilities, so I’ll have you keep training with Nat on undercover and stealth missions. Get you on training so you can work on interrogations too.” She nodded, still seeming kind of out of it. His words after ‘Sam’ faded quickly, turning into background noise instead of her main point of conversation. Everyone departed to the private refectory for lunch as the meeting ended. Just as __ was going to catch up with Nat, Steve who was holding open the door called her name. She turned around slowly, smiling a little. 

“Hi, Steve.” He scratched the back of his neck, coming next to her, walking together. 

“Hey, sweets, what’s going on ? You seemed… distracted.” he hesitated, searching for the right word. She stared up at him for a few moments, into the clear blue sea of his eyes. He waited patiently for her answer. Steve, always too patient. 

““I feel a little weak, maybe. I don’t know. You guys are amazing, and me… I’m just… me. My powers are pretty, useless in the action and excitable missions.” He looked very confused for a few moments but stopped her from walking, grabbing her shoulders. Her form stilled, having to crane her head to meet his intruding gaze. 

“Hey, Hey, You’re not useless. You do a lot. For me, for the team. You are you. But you’re amazing. You saved Pietro's life, for god’s sake.” he encouraged, aiming to raise her spirits. She gave him an empty smile, dull, it didn't reach her eyes. He swept his thumbs over her shoulders. Steve searched for any sign that she understood, but she averted her eyes.  
“I guess,” she whispered, raising her hands to nibble at her fingernails. He gently stopped them with his own hands, a jolt of what felt like nervousness flipping his insides over like a pancake. Though he knew better. Her scent seeped from her, filling up the hallway, a veil of aromatic temptations drawing him in. So sweet, so engaging, looping his conscious around her fingers. For an unknown amount of time, he watched her lips part, tongue dart out to wet her dry lips. __ fingers tightened their hold on his gloves, dragging him to continue walking. His reverie broke with her movements, the current of pleasure still flooding his senses. __ knew it was wrong to keep touching him, but she was sick of keeping herself locked away from him.

“Steve, I- I just wanted to tell you something.” She mumbled as they walked down the hallway towards the sounds of the others having lunch. 

“What is it, sweets ?” he seemed to be the one who was out of it now. To sober him up, she dropped his hand, Steve looking at her like she betrayed him. 

“I- I remembered something. Something from my life before Hydra.” She looked around to see if anyone was listening. “There was a man in my dream, I saw my mother, and myself as a child.” She told him about the other details that she could remember, the piano song she didn't know and the cigarette all jumbled up in her mind. She wished she could have seen his face, so she could describe him to a sketch artist or do a facial construction, but she couldn't seem to see past the smoke. Steve gave her a thoughtful look before asking if she could remember anything else. She shook her head in the negative and seemed to get lost back in her thoughts. He decided not to push her. 

“Well, if you remember anythin’ else, you can tell me, alright ?” He offered, and she nodded, stepping into the dining room on the private floors together. 

“Look who is finally showing up, the angel and Mr. America !” Pietro taunted, Steve sitting down beside her in the last two seats. __ placed a few pieces of bread and some of the main dish on her plate, crossing his legs. She giggled at the purposeful mistake, Wanda shaking her head. 

“This is why you are always getting in trouble.” She reprimanded, taking a bite from an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table. He smiled cockily, tossing a similar apple from hand to hand.  
“No, I am too fast to get into trouble.” Nat gave him a challenging smirk, resting her chin in her palm, the sharpness in her green eyes on full display. 

“So, you run from your problems ? Doesn't sound like a good thing…finishing things too fast, I mean.” She tucked a stray lock of her brilliant red hair behind her ear, lazily picking at her nails. Steve looked at her disapprovingly, Wanda only giving her brother a shrug. Vision turned to Wanda, confused, while Sam oohed and hissed in mock pain. 

“That had to hurt.” He murmured, pursing his lips in sympathy. __ reacted in sympathy as well. 

“Take it easy on him, Nat.” She glanced up at her friends, noticing they were all ready for her to say something nice. One of these days she would take them by surprise, but it seemed kind of late for that. If she had said something mean now, it would seem exceptionally harsh and uncalled for. Because __ had saved his life, Pietro had a soft spot for her, like everyone else she would probably ever meet, and often became a little envious of the relationship she shared with some of the others. But he had won her favor, as she discovered that he could recover quickly from her effects, happy to finally give someone a hug and not make them physically drunk. The group joined in sparse conversations until lunch came to an end. 

__ sat on one of the lounge couches, recounting her memory to Nat, who listened in pointed focus. __ hoped to gain her opinion on the dream or memory. 

“So, you remember that woman as your mother ?” Nat asked and __ refocused on the face of the woman and the exact face of the woman in the photo in her file. They were twins, and thus hopefully the same person. Though there were many small inaccuracies in her file, due to a partially deaf stenographer, the photos matched, feature for feature. 

“I believe so, I’ve seen my mother's picture, but seeing her interacting with me in the past, is… so… astounding. But the man, I don’t know. I’m hoping the furniture will change that.” The spy narrowed her eyes.

“If you recognize that furniture, did you trace it to a house or a location where you might have lived in the past ?” __ shifted her eyes up in thought, sitting up. Just then, Friday called her out to the lobby, saying her new furniture had arrived and that a moving team was being assembled to move it where she directed. She thanked him before heading off towards the lobby. 

“That's a wonderful idea !” __ shouted from the hallway, before leaving entirely. “Talk to you soon, Nat !” she waved, coming up past the sofas to meet the movers, who were just regular agents in training. And then she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. 

“You again ?” She said to the flower shop- Frank. He turned around; his ears bright red at her words. He smiled and scratched his neck awkwardly. A stumbling laugh slipped and he halted when she gave him an odd look. She watched as he cleared his throat, the others standing beside him intently listening, all of their attention obviously focused on the two. 

“Oh, hey Temulentia, I heard that you needed some stuff moved, and I thought I would come help, you know, cause we know each other.” He immediately seemed to regret his words when she quirked a brow.

“I don’t exactly, ‘know’ you, Frank. And do any of you have any clearance to the private quarter's floor ?” They looked at each other and shook their heads. “Thought so…” she didn't really want to bother her friends with simple work, so she gave them temporary access, as they all moved in her things. She thanked each of them as they made their way out, waving slowly to Frank as he kept throwing looks over his shoulder. What a strange guy. As he finally left the private quarters, __ finally got to see her glorious furniture. She skimmed her fingers on top of each piece, hoping to touch a memory. Any sign that she could recall any more of the things she had lost, forgotten in empty hollow hallways of her past. Just a hazy glimpse at this point would satisfy her brand new curiosity, but she knew her insatiability would grow with each daydream. Her legs carried her to the small table with the vase from her first dream, running her finger around the golden handle, glimmering in the light of the sun, beaming into her room from the window. A slow prickling feeling came into her stomach, a small ache as the first of what she hoped were many thoughts appeared from the locked vaults of her life before guards and white tiles. 

“___ ! ___ !” a boy, no older than 16 ran up to her, shoes clicking, slacks wrinkling with each step he took in her direction. His words reached her ears and he took steps in his direction. The smell of roses wafted about in the spring air, a girl tending to the plants, small gloves protecting her fingers from the thorns of the peach colored flowers sprouting from noxious stems. Her dress flared about her hips in an older type of fashion, somehow staying stark white despite her gardening. The smile she gave the boy was just as bright, setting the pruning tools and gloves on the cloth she was sat on, dusting her hands on the front of her dress. A pretty white rose sat above her left ear, tucked delicately in her hair, diamond necklace glimmering in the sunny atmosphere. Who on earth gardens in all white shoes and clothes ? 

“Hello, Romain ! I hoped I would see you today, I have something to show you !” The young man smiled down at her, following her into the house. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trousers, jacket stretching around his elbows and shoulder. She allowed him into her house, opening the door and politely letting him inside. She giggled, bouncing over to the piano in the living room past the lobby. With a comb from his pocket, he removed loose strands of chestnut hair back which only flopped back over, in the mirror displayed on the wall of the front room. She laughed and he blushed as he realized she had been watching him. Waving the caramel-eyed boy over, she lifted the top of the piano away, Romain leaned in the doorway watching her at her place in front of the piano. 

“Maman taught me the song you told me to learn. Do you want to hear it ?” She asked and the boy nodded, giving her a charming smile. She nodded as well, beginning to play the song she did not know again, from the first note. The boy watched with an endearing gaze, crossing one leg over the other, the tip of his shined shoes resting beside the other. He pulled a box of cigarettes from the front drawer of the table beside him, where he knew her mother kept her special cigarettes. With a gold plated lighter, he lit it, and with this, she knew this was the second piece of the first dream. When she finished, he had finished with the cigarette, holding the butt of it between his fingers. 

“Jérôme, Michel, and François are going to play cards later at the shop, are you coming ?” she eagerly stood from the piano, scooting the seat just slightly under the piano. She gave him a tap on his nose and he flinched back before following her onto the foyer. 

“Mmhmm.” she murmured, grabbing a small purse from the desk in the salon. “Didn't I tell you maman doesn't like when you smoke her cigarettes ?” She scolded, locking her front door, after allowing him to exit. He smirked, before tossing the butt in the tray that her father used to smoke outside. 

“Won’t know if you don’t tell…” He grabbed her by the hand leading her out onto a semi-busy street. 

Rushing back into reality, hurtling to the surface of her conscious at neck breaking speeds, __ found herself sent reeling into the wall, hands aiding her in a slow descent to the floor against it. Out of breath and out of energy, she dropped her head in her palms. 

“Remember…” she whispered over and over till the sun set into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for Reading !
> 
> Criticism is welcome.
> 
> Love You guys so much !
> 
> P.S- in the memory, they are supposed to be speaking French, but I felt that would have made things harder to understand, so try using your defunct imagination, crushed by inadequate educational systems.


	29. Temulentia 29.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am officially the worst writer ever. I get so annoyed when writers stop updating and now I feel the struggle and it is very real. 
> 
> Well, my dear readers, I hope you enjoy Chapter 29 and its flaws. We will see Bucky soon, I know, I am sad too. Very sad. But have hope. As always, leave your comments in the... comments, and hugs in the kudos ! I love reading what you guys think and what you have to say about this shitty waiting I make you go through. I still love you.

___ woke with a start, knocking her head against the wall. A hiss escaped through her teeth, hands shooting to the sore area. A knot in her neck began to throb, her fingers coming down to try and massage it out. Her legs felt like they weighed a ton each, straightening them so she could bend them back up, carefully pulling her body up to stand. She groaned and threw sheets over the bare mattress and made the bed, sitting on the finished product. The memory she remembered must have been very early in her life, as she had friends in her dream, a time in her life where she must have lived in France, before going to Russia and being taken by Hydra. Her thoughts were broken, a knock grasping her attention from them. She stood from her bed to see a concerned Nat standing at the door. 

“Temulentia, what happened, is something wrong ?” She said, slinking inside and closing the door before eavesdroppers could barge in and overwhelm the exhausted girl. She mumbled a sound of confusion. 

“Huh ? I’m… I’m fine. Why ?” Half of the worry fell from the redhead's expression. Then an acute sharpness settled into her eyes. 

 

“You’ve been in your room since yesterday, which makes over 24 hours of you not being around Pietro. He’s been incessant. And Steve nearly broke down your door when you didn't answer. It took a lot to convince him not to. I heard you shuffling around in here, so I came to check on you.” 

“I was just sleeping…” __ furrowed her brows as she whispered the statement more to herself than her friend. Nat chuckled and slung an arm around the girl's shoulders.

“And they call me the cat. You’re the one who spends 75% of your life sleeping. C’mon, let's go get you some ice cream.” __ smiled at the worry and happiness of her friend, only to nearly be tackled from the high chair at the breakfast bar. 

“Why did you leave me for so long ? Alone with Steve ? Who only wants to work out ?” Sam clutched her tighter as her startled rigidness melted into his display of affection. 

“Hey, that's not true. I don’t only work out.” Steve defended as he too walked into the room behind Sam, a small smile on his lips, obviously just back from the gym showers. 

“Personal opinion, Steve.” Nat sipped a cup of what __ assumed was coffee. She laughed lightly and patted Sam's back. 

“Nat told me I was only gone for a day. You worked out for a day and you’re already sick of it ?” Sam shrugged. 

“When you’ve had the luxury of trying to keep up with him, you’ll see what I mean.” He let go and sat on the stool beside her, spooning ice cream from the bucket on the table into a bowl sitting beside it. __ shook her head. She turned her head to Steve who was collecting a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“So, I heard someone tried to break into my room.” She emphasized ‘someone’, Steve nearly bumped his head on the fridge shelf trying to turn around, going red as he remembered when he almost snapped the knob off trying to get in. Nat and Vision came down the hall and told him she would come out when she wanted to, and Vision said she was in there for sure and was not in any physical danger, so she hasn't been taken or anything. Of course, at that moment things had seemed urgent and worrisome, but now it was just embarrassing more than anything. Hopefully, she hadn't heard the ordeal going on outside her door after she had been asleep for more than 20 hours in her room on the uncomfortable floor. She smirked as the tips of his ears turned a pinker color. 

“I didn't try to break in per se, I just wanted to- felt the need to- uh- check on you because I was concerned- and… maybe you hit your head or something and ... God, shut up, Steve.” He whispered the last part to himself but loud enough for __ to hear. 

“No, I’m thankful for your concern. I am very clumsy, so your suspicions are more than likely to actually happen.” She affirmed, spooning more ice cream onto her waiting taste buds. A flash of green passed through the kitchen and stopped in front of her, Sam's tongue clicking in annoyance, discovering his ice cream had been stolen. Pietro stood on the other side of the counter beside the sink, eating Sams robbed ice cream.

“I see Sleeping Beauty has finally awakened from her hundred year slumber.” He began to eat the cold dessert, while Sam rolled his eyes and began serving more for himself. 

“I don't think anyone is beautiful when they just wake up.” __ set her spoon into the empty bowl, pushing away from her. Wanda entered through the hallway from the direction of her room, sitting on the stool next to Nat. Sam scoffed and took his seat beside __. 

“Speak for yourself. I woke up like this.” __ laughed at the statement. 

She could tell that her presence in such a short amount of time had been missed. Not severely, and no one would admit such a ridiculous concept but missed nonetheless. A part of her was somber that maybe it was just because of her power. The feeling she gave people when she talked them, stood near to them, hugged them, relaxed with them. She had seen people become boneless, sink into a stupor if she forgot to stop herself from letting go. __ understood that she was addictive, like a narcotic, Tony had said. But maybe, there was a chance that if she didn't have her powers they would have missed her all the same. Her personality might have been the sole factor for her dedicated friends. But she knew that chance was likely minuscule. An influence like this, subconsciously imprinted into the brain, a smell designed to produce dopamine, could not be challenged by natural charisma. No matter what, anyone she would ever meet would receive a flood of dopamine in their limbic system and inevitably would want to be around her more. The circumstances would never matter. 

 

Things since Ultron had taken a much smoother course; training, eating, sleeping and down times outlining themselves in the hours of the days to come. Of course, the ceremonial squad photo was in order, though __ felt a little down trodden that Tony, Clint, Thor, and Bruce could not be there to take part in it. Everyone squeezed into the photo, and it couldn't even be taken by anyone in the picture. __ had to ask someone else to take it. Thankfully, they didn't just take pictures of themselves. 

Wanda, Pietro, Vision, and the occasional Rhodey became part of the team, and just as quickly, dear friends to __. In order to properly replace the AI system in the new compound, Tony had set the AI as Friday, a new system that was in connection with Vision, who was now understanding the comfiness of the sweater. He liked to learn new things, observe the mannerisms of the team, mimic modern patterns of speech, and do just human things. Like, wear clothes instead of long majestic capes. Vision was logical in every sense of the word and often seemed mechanical. Though he was not human, which was why he probably acted like that, this did not take away his genuine devotion and love for the people he cared about. At first, Wanda was a closed person and she kept to herself much more than her brother. But she slowly opened up like a blossom, her mental drawbacks about herself and her control over her power being overcome by her willingness to use it for good. Pietro was not as guarded, but very protective of his sister. His protectiveness over __ was growing the longer they spent time together and clashed with the similar feelings Natasha and Steve harbored for her as well. But despite his jokester borderline cocky attitude and personality, his confidence and selflessness added to the many traits that made him Pietro. Sam would often conspire with him to prank other members of the team until it somehow evolved into a prank war against each other. Steve was the one who had to officially tell them to stop, and when that didn't work, a disapproving look from Mr. Fury was enough to get them to actually truce. 

 

Fury made good on his word of finding out what exact changes the Temulentum Serum implicated in ___, so they could see how she would be able to work together with the team. A bit of self-research was in order, because, truthfully, Maria pointed out that the file on her was hardly even filled out properly by Hydra. They did not finish testing and proper examination. As horrifying as that sounded, __ could only be thankful it was not Hydra or the KGB doing the research this time around. Several samples were submitted, such as fluid samples, skin cell samples, and even hair samples. The results were much more extensive than __ thought they would be. Originally, she believed the serum only made changes to her body externally and the few internally to bring about the pheromones and pleasurable touch she obtains. But besides having wider hips and increased fat storage, like other super soldier serums, she had a stronger immune system, shorter recuperation for injuries which is most likely for pregnancies, thicker bones, and even a certain chemical that released during labor that would dull pain sensors. Her body was made to be able to sustain herself and still dedicate most of its resources towards a child if she were to have one. 

As strange as that was, what was even stranger was a drive of corrupted data that Fury had recovered from a classified storage unit in an old SHIELD base. He said that none of the technicians or hackers on the Avengers base could figure it out and that hopefully sense __ knew her way around Hydra safety and security procedures for sensitive information, she would be able to salvage what was left of it. Most of it was files pertaining to which members of SHIELD were working as double agents, the exact team of people who developed the infiltration plan, how many Hydra operatives would work on it, and more files of extremely sensitive information about Hydra as a whole. There were files about her, the Winter Soldier, safeguards against negative reactions, protocol to negative reactions, the intellectual training they put her through and how the almost childlike mindset they situated in her would speed up the process to move into official sexual intercourse with the Winter Soldier. Shivers racked down her spine. His touch was the first she had ever felt after being brought off the ice and she was the first to make it feel good in many years for him. They comforted each other in cold times and would never forget the love they shared but the realization that Hydra had been watching, monitoring every encounter that occurred between them, and anticipating it, was more than just horrifying. There would be a day when they could touch, kiss, and love each other without anyone but them wanting it to happen, but when was a question she could not answer. 

Learning more about herself spurred physical trials of the actual strength of her powers after completing her interrogative and cross examination instructional course. There were no actual measurements concluded by the scientists who had taken the samples and analyzed them, but they concluded that she had some sort of control over how strong they would be. The details of this were inconclusive but at least the trace of it existed. Now, she would have to see how much she could truly affect someone. She wished she could keep everything hypothetical but Mr. Fury demanded to see the extent of her power. A fully trained agent had volunteered to see just how far she could go. When he saw her, he didn't think much, but he was warned. Thoroughly.

The air tight locks engaged on the doors, technicians recording the audio and video, special sensors set up around the room. 

“You do realize I could potentially poison you, right ?” She shuffled her feet, standing a good distance from him. The muscular man shrugged, legs shoulder width apart, tossing a careless glance her way. 

“Yeah, they made me sign a waiver and all that, but I don’t think you could take me down.” He smirked arrogantly. __ sighed and relaxed. Her sickly sweet scent immediately flooded the room, in excess, unable to escape through any holes or vents in the room. Oxygen sensors in the room reported lowering oxygen levels. An organic compound from her body emanated from her skin, expanding to fill the space.

“I thought ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ was a popular saying.” She trained her eyes on him as he came closer, step by step. On the fifth, he began to cough and stagger. On around the ninth, he was on his knees. The oxygen sensor was not at a dangerously low level and if low oxygen were the case, he wouldn't be the only one affected. The pleasurable feeling coursed through his veins, overstimulation beginning to burn through his body. Around the halfway point, he gagged before covering his mouth and lying on the floor. He wheezed a few times before going unconscious and out of panic, the operatives from the control room opened the air vents again and sent in medical personnel with gas masks. Even they reported being able to feel light headed from the sugary smell in the room. Horror drowned her emotions as she numbly watched the doctors carry out the man on a stretcher. 

This was apparently supposed to be a good thing, That she could cause more damage to enemies than previously theorized. She visited the agent in the med bay, leaving flowers and formally apologizing. Though he said he forgave her, __ still felt bad and now she knew anyone she came in contact would experience a sickening sensation if exposed to her scent for too long. She was just content to know she could control it with more practice. 

As smooth as things were going, just under the surface was a more ugly truth. The chaos in Sokovia caused public ridicule towards the Avengers themselves, press conference after press conference about what the Avengers would do to help, where are some of the Avengers now, what new Avengers would be in the public eye and work on the field. Though the newer members were not required to attend and were only reported on for the next months to follow the incident, __ was a little nervous. A journalist at one of the conferences inferred that the Avengers were trying to hide the new members because they could be ‘dangerous like the Hulk’. The line was used in several articles on news channels, websites, and papers. The public was beginning to question if this was true or not and now, they all sat in the conference room with Maria. 

“I know that this isn’t true.” She pointed at the headline on the projector. “But we have to go public with the new team to put a stop to the rumors. Just answer a few questions and be done with it. You don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to, but at least be polite.” She ended. What resistance could any of the people in the room offer ? And with this, the circus that was these public appearances began. On the car ride, Steve and Natasha gave advice as they were often the main speakers at these conferences. 

"Just try not to make things sound too mysterious. If they sense even a little bit of mystery, they start coming up with conspiracy theories." Nat rolled her eyes at the memories of many conspiracy theories about every team member after the first time the Avengers saved the world. 

"Everything'll be fine." Steve comforted. __ hoped he was right. 

Camera shutters clicked all around the room, small flashes of white light bursting from the crowd of photographers, cameramen, reporters, and journalists. __ was seated at a row of chairs and a long wooden table, microphones for each of them accompanied by name tags with real names and even code names. For a while, __ was lost in the sea of whispering people and still, looming security guards. The questioning was finally starting, the calm voice of Steve bringing her out from her thoughts. He spoke of the new additions to the team and insisted that they introduce themselves. First was Pietro, then Vision, and last Wanda before it was finally her turn to speak of her powers as well as subtly saying she had them all under control as to not shock the public. 

“My name is ___ Barousse Vasnetsov, also known as Temulentia.” As soon as she began to speak, she lost count of how many possible pictures of her were in existence now. __ explained her abilities as best as she could so that the audience and news outlets would have no way to mess it up. As she finished, the people raised their hands to ask her questions. A man at the front pointed to the one who raised their hand first. 

“I understand that several pieces of information and files were released after Triskelion. Some of them mentioned you. What are your former ties with the secret organization Hydra ?” he asked, pen ready to record her response. She would try to keep her voice steady and confident for the whole interview, the first question already difficult to word in the right way. 

“I was kidnapped and forced to be tested on. Any work I did for Hydra was involuntary and I simply was not told the whole truth of the situation. I did not understand what work I was doing, who I was working for, or what the finished product would bring about.” More lights flashed, more pens scribbled, cameras rolled, and people murmured among the live audience. 

“Do you admit to working on project Insight ?” She relaxed and helped everyone in the room calm down, refusing to look at the faces of her concerned friends. 

“Yes, but as previously stated, I was unaware of the full goal of the project or what it meant at the time.” The woman who asked simply nodded and returned to her notebook. 

“Can you give us more details on the Winter Soldier, please ?” The shutters clicked again, but they were nowhere near as loud as her blood pumping in her ears. She swallowed down the memories and stated that she would not like to talk about him. The murmuring got louder but this did not stop the next questions. The questions to follow were about her work on Ultron, her work against Ultron, and then the misogynistic questions rolled in about her romantic interests and abilities as an Avenger, but those were usually baseless, without reason, and not worth the time. The questioning landed on Sam, and another half hour of the press conference ensued, the fluttering of the cameras and the voices beginning to become louder as the interview came closer to the end. The smell of mint gum from Pietro who chewed on some wafted over her as he offered her a stick wrapped in shiny foil. She took the candy from him and just as she thanked him with a kind smile, bright lights flashed from the front. Plenty of pictures of that were probably being uploaded now. __ internally sighed. By observing other news sites, any female interaction with the opposite sex apparently meant a relationship beyond friendship, despite the concept of opposite sex friendship existing around the world. What a time to be alive. 

Now there were probably about over a million pictures of her on the world wide web than before, but at least she wouldn't have to attend one of those for awhile. As they made their way out to the cars, reporters tried to get last minute questions in but they were quickly shut down by the cold glare a reporter got for stepping past the rope and into __ space to ask her about her romantic interests again. 

On the ride back, Maria appraised the newest members for being polite and joked about welcoming them to constant public scrutiny. __ smiled but realized just how right she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading !
> 
> Love you !


	30. Temulentia 30.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt inspired lately and decided to try and break my awful habit of forgetting about this little piece of shit fic. So I hope you enjoy Chapter 30. !
> 
> I am sorry, I know that we have not seen my boy, Bucky Barnes in a little bit, but I included a little something for you thirsty people. I have experienced the thirst and am trying to rocket this shit into civil war asap. I have big plans for it. There is some death in this chapter, some jealous Bucky Barnes, ya know, some stuff. Am I boring you ? I'm boring you.

___ found herself able to recall most of her memories from the time in her life where she had friends, lived with her mother and father in France, and traveled to Russia to meet her grandparents on her father's side, or at that time, the Soviet Union. There was a period in her life where she did mundane things before her time with her new friends. In her heart, a conflict fought for her opinion. If she had never gone to Russia, stayed in France, lived a normal life; she would have never met Steve, or Natasha, or James. They would have never existed in her sphere of social outings and days spent in the sun with her old friends. The memories led up to the days before her father found out that his superiors wanted to use his daughter for a new project and started to make plans to flee to the west again. Her father in her memories, although serious, cynical, stoic, and stiff, cared about her and his mother a lot. To the point where he would have sacrificed himself if it meant that his wife and daughter would have survived. __ preferred to not drown herself in what if scenarios and decided to focus on trying to break through the wall. She envisioned her memories as being locked in a room that she did not have the key to, so she would break through the walls instead. As silly as that was, it somehow worked, her mental ability to ‘break the wall’ was successful, memories flowing into existence. Sometimes they hurt to remember, but tonight would probably be the worst. 

___ sat among her friends on the couches of the main lounge. They talked about the day's training, Nat playing with the long strands of her hair, soft and thankfully, mostly untangled. 

“You need a haircut.” Nat twirled her fingers through the hair, __ turning to look at her. Nat only continued to play with it, braiding pieces and then unbraiding them. 

“I do ?” 

“Yeah, you wanna dye it ? What color do you want to dye it ? We could do blue, purple, pink…” Nat listed the colors she thought would look good on her. __ didn’t necessarily want to dye it, but a hair cut would be nice. 

“I don’t know, should I ? I don’t think I really want to, but I could handle a haircut.” Nat nodded and mentioned styles that would look great with her ‘face shape’ whatever that was. __ nodded and suggested that they make a hair appointment tomorrow, following Natasha's attention back to the main conversation. They talked about the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving and the huge dinner party that Tony was throwing. 

“I hope I don’t have to make dessert. Can’t he just buy something ?” __ complained, receiving the backlash of the comment right away. Sam was the first to voice his outrage. 

“No way ! Aw, c’mon, Temulentia, it won’t taste as good. You know I don’t like that store bought stuff !” He exclaimed, scooting to the edge of his seat. __ watched in shock as his brow scrunched in disbelief. “Only you,” he pointed languidly at her, a flash of his white teeth accompanying the gesture. “Bring the real deal.” He sat back on the couch beside Wanda who chuckled at the situation. 

“I agree. Nothing Tony would buy would compare.” Wanda added. __ turned over the compliments and thought of maybe retracting her decision. Then she made an apprehensive face.

“Uh-uh, don’t you dare. I love you and your baking too much to let this happen.” Sam countered, with a much too serious face to be joking. Steve laughed and nodded.

“He’s right. You don’t have to, but just look at those faces.” He motioned to Pietro and Sam who pouted right on cue. __ laughed at their best attempts of puppy dog eyes. 

“Aww, how could I say ‘no’ ?” She brought her hands to her face to hide the snickers she gave in reaction. A final decision was made in which __ would make only one cake and the rest was on Tony to provide if it wasn't enough. __ nearly snorted when there was a communal rejoice around the room. 

“You know what, sense I’m the only one cooking something, I’ll only make a cake if you guys make something too.” Nat shook her head. 

“This is why we leave most of the cooking to you. I can’t cook. I’m… just not doing that.” 

“I can go to the store,” Sam shrugged. “Maybe… buy some mashed potatoes outta the box. No one'll tell the difference.” Well, now everyone would tell the difference. 

“Wanda and I will make something.” Pietro offered to which Wanda rolled her eyes. Everyone made a face at Pietro, as the last time he had cooked, he had tried to speed up the process by turning up the heat and ended up burning whatever he was cooking past the point of recognition. 

“Me and you ? Or just me ?” Wanda glared at him incredulously. Pietro sighed in defeat. 

“Just you.” 

“I will give you my best attempt at making a… err… pie. That’s a Thanksgiving classic according to plenty of sources.” Vision crossed his legs and looked to Steve who had to name a dish he would at least try making. 

“I think I’m with Nat on this one. Can’t cook worth a damn.” Natasha smiled like the Cheshire cat and nudged Sam. They turned and nodded at each other, ready to say the phrase that would set Steve off. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Just- please don’t.” ___ looked confusedly to Sam. 

“Sam, you never explained what that was about.” Sam perked up, and turned to her, eyebrows raised. Then he erupted in cackles, much to the disdain of Steve. He sighed heavily and covered his face with his palm. Meanwhile, Sam only mentioned that Tony had come up with the whole thing during the first mission to detain Strucker. Nat carried on the story as she had looked back at the exact moment it happened. 

“Yeah, it’s kind of losing its shine, but we just bring it up to annoy Steve.” Nat shot a smug look at the blond man who tried to hide said reaction but failed miserably at it. 

“And it’s working. Well, I might add.” ___ smiled and felt the upcoming sleepiness overtake her. The night drew to a close as the atmosphere became more easygoing in volume and mood. Soon, everyone left to go to bed, walking off into the halls in different directions. Goodnights and last words before the morning were exchanged. 

That night, __ could feel that she would not be awake for long and as soon as she laid on the bed and her face hit the pillow, she fell asleep. 

The cold seeped into her bones, the black fur lining of the cream colored anorak brushed against her red cheeks as she exited the vehicle. Her father told her mother that he knew a trusted friend that could get them through the Ural mountains from Chelyabinsk, undetected. They would be able to get to another border town that would lead to Latvia. There, a group of people he knew who opposed the Soviet Union's control over Latvia, would help them make it out of the USSR. Her father thanked the man who dropped them off at a town close to the lowest point in the mountain range. The man smiled and wished him good luck in Russian, driving off in the other direction. Immediately, her father and mother pressed her in between themselves. 

“Yuri, Andrei, and Iosif will meet us at the motel. We are leaving right away.” He walked easily through the biting cold, the sun just beginning to rise behind the clouds of what was last nights snow storm. Her mother only nodded. Her mother's gloved fingers press into the cushion like material of her jacket as her father opened the door to the motel. True to his word, three men sat on a bench in the lobby. Their eyes caught hers and they smiled. She approached them with her parents and listened to them comment about her and her family in Russian. 

“Sergey, Rosaline. I haven't seen you in a million years !” The man who sat in the middle stood up first and embraced her father and her mother. The next two man followed as the man in the middle who her father called Andrei. He had dark hair and light colored eyes, a light green hue with dark lashes framing the clarity of his eyes. His smile crinkled his eyes a little as brought her into a hug like a long lost uncle. His voice was low and gruff but sounded kind. 

“And ___ ! Last time I saw you, you were up to here.” He held her at arm's length as she smiled in response to his teasing, his hand patting close to his knee. The other men, Yuri and Iosif were a little less enthusiastic but greeted her as well. They talked to her parents in the lobby, undisturbed by any other guests in the motel. Andrei said that they could get them through the mountains in a day with the supplies that they had brought. The path they selected was not well known and not very difficult. 

“If we start today, we can make it to Kirov by the end of the week," Yuri stated and her father nodded. They all set out for the trek through the range. 

__ stood at the top of a hill of snow next to a tall tree. Her mother brought up how a camera for a picture would have been nice as she tucked a lock of hair behind her daughter's earmuffs.  
She grinned as __ looked out at the windy landscape below the mountains. Leafless trees and evergreens alike lined their way along the treeline. The sun light reflected off the white snow, dips of blue shadowing from the trees and soft mounds of snow collecting along the ground. The sight was impressive for the low height of the trail they were following through. 

Hours had passed since the sun was that high in the sky and now, it sat just on the horizon, sinking quickly into it. In what felt like a few minutes, it was no longer visible from the mountain pass but there was still a small amount of light. A noise rustled from one of the trees, and at first, __ assumed that it was the wind, sweeping in from the east. 

After a few minutes, it was obvious that the wind had not made that noise. Yuri, who had black hair and wore a long gray coat, fell face forward into the snow. Blood stained the snow red, steadily leaking from a bullet wound in his head. She was standing long enough to see her father, mother, and Iosif, take out their own handguns. Andrei tackled her into the snow as more than 8 men in strange clothes ran up from behind, black guns in their hands. He told her to be very quiet, breath heavy in her ear. Warm liquid oozed from him and she recognized he had been shot. Andrei had heard what her father had expressed about his superiors in a secret letter. He knew that she didn't deserve that at such a young age, and if he could use the last of his life to save her, he would. He would probably die out here but if he succeeded, it wouldn't be in vain. She curled up while the guns were firing, hidden under his long coat. His breathing began to slow. His blood felt hot compared to the icy pile beneath her. Her mother and father were still shooting but she heard a struggle. A grunt was heard and a choking noise. That voice was her fathers and a thud meant that he had hit the ground, either bleeding out or dead. She whimpered as she realized that the next body fell to the ground, a shout of pain leaving her mothers mouth before she finally collapsed. Iosif must have still been crouched behind something because she could still hear gunfire. Her body shook with tears, shock washing over her like ocean waves. Her parents were dead and Andrei was dying above her, hiding her from the men with the guns. He shushed her, quietly telling her not to cry in Russian. She sniffled and stilled her movements. With a last cry, Iosif had been silenced, one of the last gunshots to echo out into the night. 

Crunching noises were the only noise she could hear from under Andrei's body, coming closer and closer to Andrei and her hidden figure, trying not to shake from the cold and the fear. Each footstep seemed to happen in slow-motion, hours and hours seeming to happen between each step. 

A breeze. The crunch of the snow under someone's boots. A click. 

Another step. Other men speak to each other in the distance. Another man checks the other bodies to make sure they are dead. They mention her name. 

Cloth flutters in the wind. A step, less than a foot away. Fear, cold in her veins, colder than the snow, runs through her system.

Andrei was yanked back away from her by his arm and she screamed as the world turned white. 

A bang sounded somewhere near her, and shot up from her position, curled up on the bed, as if she were still under Andrei's body. Steve stood in the doorway of her room, the door swinging on its hinges. His brow was drawn up in distress. He rushed over to her. 

"Temulentia ! Calm down." He ushered her to slow her breathing. Cold sweat ran down the side of her face and she could feel it against her body. "Are you okay ?" he inquired and she only shook her head in the negative. He sat against the headboard, putting an arm around her so she could feel as secure as possible. Her eyes began to water, hot tears rolling down her cheeks, mixing with cold drops of sweat. Sobs slowly set in and he brought her closer, sweeping away her tears. 

"Do you wanna talk about it ?" She shook her head again and he simply remained silent. __ buried her face in his chest. She tried to focus on his voice as he whispered calming things to her, his fingers in her hair, sleep shirt bunched and starting to wrinkle under her fingers. 

Within an hour, ___ felt herself drift off but before she could finally enter sleep, Steve moved towards the door. Her antique bed squeaked and she clutched his hand. For the first time that early morning, she spoke. Her voice hoarse with crying and dreariness. 

"Please... don't leave," She mumbled and his eyes softened at the panicked look on her face. He sat on the bed with her and the release of her distress caused the scent in her room to thicken. He neared her again, holding her gently. Hesitantly, she whispered the premise of her dream, or rather, her nightmare. He hummed and swept away her tears once more. 

"It's over, sweets. Nothin's gonna happen to you while I'm here." His voice was steady and she took solace in his reassurances. They fell into a deep sleep, the soothing quality of each others heartbeats putting her memory to rest. 

-

A front page news article about the Avengers caught his eye, her name in big print, cheap black ink on gray paper standing out as he walked down the street. He had been in Germany for a few days now and was looking for a place to stay or at least a hostel in a part of town where they don't ask questions. The newspaper was left on a public bench and he sat on it, hoping to stay inconspicuous. His fingers reached out and clutched the rough paper. 

'New superheroes ? The scoop on the twins, Temulentia and Vision; the brand-new Avengers.' 

The picture underneath the headline and subtitle was of the Avengers, sat at what he guesses was at a panel, the room bursting with people. The red head, Natasha, he remembered; was there, as well as the blond man, Steve. There was the man with the wings and the twins the title mentioned. Between the man with the white hair and Natasha was his girl. Cheeks just as blushy and eyes just as rich as he remembered. She smiled at the boy sitting next to her, hand outstretched to receive something. He felt it. Like boiling water, rolling around in his the pit of his stomach, dominating his other emotions. The article went on to talk about the interaction, even suggesting that there was more between the two. A tear ripped through the paper, tightening his fingers so it would crumple into a ball. It sat in the trash, the reader having already stood and boarded a bus. He was beginning to lose his patience, waiting in the shadows for the right moment. His resolution to stay away was falling apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Criticism is welcome and Thanks for Reading !
> 
> I promise that I will try updating more often, but summer work is drowning me. 
> 
> Love you !


	31. Temulentia 31.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;(
> 
> Enjoy chapter 31 !

The subject of the American Holiday: nicknamed ‘Turkey Day’, was not something __ was familiar with at all anytime predating the past few weeks. According to Sam, it’s a day for the common American to engorge then excuse themselves through the holiday, while Steve argues it is a day for the whole family and some friends to get together and spend some ‘quality time with each other’. The only other enthusiastic person was Pietro who loved to eat. He was excited to see American customs, as they were famous in other countries for eating too much as was __ to see all of her friends together again. 

____ set the platter with the chocolate and raspberry cake in the fridge, way in the back. If there was one thing that seemed to make itself known was the smell of warm melting chocolate and sugary syrups, like a magnet to the people she knew in this house, almost as attractive as her natural powers. She hoped no one would see it and nibble at it. Knowing Sam and Pietro, it might go missing before dinner. Today was Thanksgiving and all of her friends and their secondarily invited guests were coming over. Tony, Thor and his brother, Loki, Clint and his family, Rhodey, and Maria were making their way to the new compound, where one of the open spaces with the nearest kitchen was redecorated as a dining room. Tony had contacted a few chefs that he knew to prepare the meal so that when everyone got there the food would be ready. __ had decided to help them by setting things on the table, as well as the pretty autumn decor. Then she had left to get ready. A mauve colored chunky knit sweater was laid out over her white bedspread, as well as form fitting black jeans and heeled black suede boots. A note sat on top, 'you're welcome' in red ink, neatly centered in the middle. __ scoffed, but silently thanked Nat for helping her. She probably knew she would come to the woman's door for outfit advice anyway. As she came out from the hallway, she saw Clint and his wife, Natasha holding their new baby. He had gotten much bigger since __ saw him on the video Clint sent. The smile on Nats face was wide as she rocked the baby in her arms, cooing to it. Clint saw the bright faced girl and opened his arms for her. 

“C’mere kid. Ya miss me ?” he said as he pulled her into a hug. She laughed and nodded, her joyful aroma spreading around the room. He mentioned the news about her being an Avenger, Pietro, Wanda, Rhodey, and Vision joining the initiative as well. Theories and embarrassingly strange headlines plastered across global news stations, outlets, and papers, everyone and their mother aware of the new additions to the iconic saviours of the world, The Avengers. 

“So, how does it feel to be an Avenger ? Tiring ? Exhausting ? Makes you wanna just collapse into a pile of a dust and-" 

"Ok, Clint, I'm not at that stage yet !" She giggled. Nat came over with his baby, Nathaniel, beginning to outstretch his hands for his father. ___ caressed a gentle finger on his cheek, the baby babbling, all red chubby cheeks and soft skin. He wore a onesie with the words ‘Where's my pie ?’ printed on the front in a silly font, childish images of turkey in the background. 

He motioned her towards the brunette woman with smiling eyes who accompanied his other two children, which she presumed was his wife that Steve had talked about. __ smiled and held her hand out, similar to the woman. 

"Hi, I'm Laura, Clint's wife." She simpered, shaking her hand gently. ___ introduced herself, mirroring Laura's friendly demeanor. The two children hiding behind her legs were patted forward by their mother. "And this is Cooper and Lila." They stood and angled their necks oddly to look up at her. She crouched a little so they wouldn't ruin their posture. 

"Hey ! I'm Temulentia." She greeted and they smiled. 

"You smell like flowers." The girl, Lila whispered. Her brother nudged her and argued that she smelled like strawberries; a pre-existing sibling rivalry already seeming to loosen their shyness. They fired back at each other a few times before they looked at her. 

"What do you smell like ?" They stared up at her and she kept a calm face at the strange situation. Usually, people took different opinions on what she smelled like. The agent complained of her smelling like vanilla and Natasha had said that she smelled like roses once. 

"Well, those are actually my superpowers. As weird as that sounds."

"So, your superpower is to smell good." the small girl uttered, a hint of disbelief and mockery tining her tone. She nodded and they turned to one another, confusion on their features, a mix of Clint and Laura. 

"I know, much more dangerous than you think." She whispered ominously. "Very nice to meet your lovely children, Mrs. Barton." She went on, raising her tone to speak to her. She parted from the family in favor of greeting Rhodey who had entered from the main door that led to the garage. Tony followed, announcing their entrance. 

"Look who's back ! Anybody shed some tears in my long and heart breaking absence?" The click of his patent leather shoes that matched well with the rest of his well-tailored suit came into the room.

“More like sighs of relief.” Rhodey taunted, who was a little more casual in dress, coming over to greet __ and meet Clint and his baby. As Rhodey walked towards the happy family of four, Tony smirked as __ hurried to see him. 

"A full-fledged Avenger, huh ? You grew up so fast." He wiped at a mock tear from under his eye and she playfully flicked his arm. 

"I missed you, you know." She told and he scoffed. 

"Yeah, I bet. We had some days, you and me. Kickin' Ultrons ass, takin' names." He threw an arm over her shoulder. "Next thing you know, you're 60 and playing bingo." He sighed wistfully. ___ took her head from his shoulder and watched him doubtfully. 

"Wait, how old are you ?" She asked. 

"20, why ? Who's asking ?" He joked, going to greet Nat, Wanda, and the others who had gathered in the lounge. Loud footsteps sounded from the entrance, the rest of the group serving drinks to each other from the choices on the coffee table. __ turned to see Thor and his brother, in clothes that were not very casual but not battle armor either. 

Steve had just sat on the couch next to her as Thor came into the lounge, his brother walking in beside him, looking around the room. ___ was talking to Maria and Rhodey about a recent mission they had gone on but she excused herself to say hello to Thor. She wasn't extremely close to him like she was with Nat or Steve. In spite of that, the two had bonded over a conversation pertaining to life in Asgard and the other gods during the 'going away' party, predating the Ultron ordeal. They talked a long time about their lives, what they enjoyed the most about Earth, or midgard, and overall strange topics. She called to mind the time he had talked about his brother who was not tied to him in blood. The god of lies and mischief, Loki. 

 

"Wonderful to see you, Thor." She anticipated the hearty hug he gave her, nearly lifting her off the ground. 

"And to you as well, Temulentia." His smile was genuine and a welcome sight after not seeing him for long and the fact that his true home was not close at all. She spied his brother, observing the encounter like a bird of prey. He had icy blue glaciers for eyes and black hair longer than most people she knew liked to keep it. An odd smile stretched across his lips. He did have nice features, but then again, he was a god. Thor moved forward to meet up with her friends who sat behind her and left her to meet his brother, the encounter being closely monitored by her protective friend, Natasha. She knew how potentially dangerous Loki could be and would not take any chances. 

"Hello, I'm Temulentia." Her silence afterward and friendly expression insisted that he introduce himself properly and he did so. He came closer and he smelled fresh, like winter winds and warm like applewood. 

"I am Loki of Asgard. You are..." He inhaled noticeably, to make sure she was the sweet smell that prevailed in the room. He could sense it, hanging over everyone in the room, influencing them in just the slightest of ways. He perceived it, flowing through his mind. The factors that pushed people into her sphere of influence. She was beautiful, her eyes were deep, a longing, perhaps for adventure or the unconditional love of another resting there. Strands of silk-like hair adorned her, a lock of it out of place, skimming her cheek. A glow emanated from her skin, flesh warm and soft, hands unworn from hard labor. Her smile was graceful and less forceful than some aristocrats and nobles he had interacted with in Asgard. “Simply divine.” He held her warm hand in his cool palm, fingers pushing into the pink skin. The words were an odd sort of compliment, but her smile did not falter. His smile too, was soft and graceful. 

“Thank you !” She accepted, the brush of his lips on the top of her palm exciting no reaction that would have boosted his confidence, not that her blush or awkward sideways look would even affect his confidence at all. He nodded and followed her to where she sat beside the slender redhead. Sharp eyes cut into him, conveying a promise of death if he got to close and tried anything. 

__ did notice the god sitting next to her was not a sociable person and preferred to watch and listen but never to add input to the conversation. The feeling of his gaze upon her seemed to attract her attention more than the conversation about Clint’s farm life and how they should set up Christmas like this. Slowly, she would turn to find his icy cavernous eyes focused on her profile, one leg crossed over the other, arm thrown loosely over the back of the couch. Whenever her eyes would meet his, perfectly white teeth showed from behind his calculating smile, meant to be inviting. __ tried her best to reciprocate the smile, effectively giving him a small smile in return. 

“You don’t talk much, do you ?” Her voice was steady and smooth, almost practiced. __ was proud for not stumbling over her sometimes clumsy tongue. He responded with a slightly more crooked grin, a vocal one following. 

“No, I’d rather learn of someone else than someone learn of me. You strike me as one who is partial to the occasional conversation. I, however, prefer silence.” __ studied his eyes, his face, body language and read no mocking or disagreeable tones. Her lashes brushed down to touch against her cheek, doe eyes filled with a certain innocence flooding into his thoughts. A breath left her lungs in a silent gesture of a laugh. 

“ I like to learn of others; yes, but I have nothing to hide of myself. What do you have to hide that you don't want people to see ?” Her head snapped back to the conversation as he was preparing an answer to her question. ___ heard her name being called. She hummed in question as Sam repeated his question. 

Before she knew it they were all seated at the table, piping hot food laid out along the length of the beautifully decorated piece of furniture. At the center was the golden brown turkey, scents of the other foods twisting and wafting in the air around the dining room. Steve politely pulled her chair and the one beside her out for the two women approaching the chairs, Vision following a similar chivalrous gesture for Maria and Wanda across the table. Nat sat beside her and Steve sat at her side as well. Unknown to them were cold and murky eyes softening just the smallest amount at the sight of the chair just across the smiling beauty hogged by the blond man with summery blue irises. Thor, luckily took the chair next to him, making it seem normal for him to sit directly in her line of sight. Pietro, who was mostly unaware of some of the teams traces of animosity towards the dark haired god, took the seat beside him, Wanda and Vision whispering to each other about the selection. Tony sat to the left of Nat, Sam to the right of Steve, Rhodey joking to Maria about the new trainee that tripped on his shoelace, resting in the seats next to him. Clint sat his family down, doing his best to maintain the position of his children on to their seats. A clinking sound came from the end of the left side, resonating from a knife and a champagne glass in Tony's hands. 

“Good Evening, ladies and gents. We are here, convened, for Thanksgiving but also, some fresh-” here he coughed, raising a fist to his lips. He muttered the word ‘meat’ underneath the ungraceful, fabricated noise. “faces, joining the Avengers initiative. I am so proud of you for putting away your completely human desire to tell the world to shove off and saving it instead. I have just seen you all come so far…” 

Rhodey scoffed at Tony's emotional display, “So far, you guys are doing great, let's hope it stays that way. God knows what a shit show everything is without me. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!” Pietro immediately began to serve himself, having been staring at all the delicacies on the table prior to the end of Tony's impromptu speech. 

The food was wonderful and filling, the stories, jokes, and witty remarks exchanged between making it all that much more warm and familial. Clint left shortly after, complaining of a long drive back to his farm, his kids already trying to sleep on their parents shoulders. Goodbyes from the whole group ushered them with leftovers and cake, carefully packaged away in saran wrap. With the younger audience gone, ___ could notice the increase of profanity from her friends as they headed towards the couches again. This time, Steve purposely blocked the dagger like eyes stabbing him from falling onto the red cheeked girl sitting at the end of the couch. The red haired woman took the cushioned recliner next to the couch, the man who towered over the small womanly shape claiming the space near her. She smiled as her friend flashed his warm, welcoming expression, taking her into his side. 

Time passed slowly as everyone tipped into the more intoxicated versions of themselves, the boisterous laughter of Sam, Pietro, Tony, Thor, and Rhodey consuming most of all the conversation between the group of jovial people. Steve was calm as usual, Natasha, the quiet but powerful voice of reason and the occasional mocking and taunting of the loud men. The lights dimmed a little, the space coming closer and closer. 

“You know, I was thinking that we might have needed to order more food, but then I was like ‘nah',but between Thor, Steve, and Pietro, I probably should have gotten three more turtles. I mean turtles, christ, I mean turkeys!” Tony stumbled over his sentence, still swishing thickly scented brandy in a crystal tumbler from the bartop. Thor and Steve shared the strong Asgardian liquor again, poured from an elegantly detailed flask, silvery and filled to the brim. Everyone else was drinking from Tony's selection of a sweet red wine paired with what was left of the cake. So far, there were only three slices left, Natasha taking another, Sam making sure he had his seconds. No one took notice of the last slice but Natasha and ___ waiting for the games to begin. Pietro claimed he was too full to stuff his face anymore, his sister calling the bluff, stating it was just for him to save face. He seemed to be sticking with it, leaving only Thor, Loki, Steve, Tony, Rhodey, and Maria. 

“Wait, those are turtles? I thought you said that was poultry.” Thor drank from his own glass, even more potent than anything Earth had to offer. Maria motioned to grab the last piece and the other two women scooted closer in their seats. Unfortunately no matter how drunk everyone was, they were still decent enough not to fight over cake, but Maria did observe a few glances of regret. 

In a few minutes, Maria and Rhodey complained of being too tired, retreating to their quarters, Tony agreeing to walk to the garage into the outside with Thor. ___ hugged each of them goodbye, going back to her room herself, the twins and Vision going down their own hallway to their rooms. Natasha disappeared to the bathroom half an hour ago, probably having gone to sleep already. 

After Steve bid her goodnight, she walked into her room as he made his way down the hall. Running a hand down his face, he,sat on the bed mindlessly thinking back to his tear soaked t-shirt, balled up in her little fists. A small rush of guilt came forth from the darkest corner of himself, the stolen glances, burying his face into her flesh, hugging her as close as she would allow. Her body was so small, slotting into his arms, sobs quieting from the comfort. It was all so wrong, he would have almost forgotten about it, if it hadn't been for the fact that he had woken with his arms wrapped around her round hips, gazing at the way his vision rapidly formed her image in his mind. Had he not… He wasn't strong enough. Not to keep her from dancing around his thoughts. No where near strong enough. Why do the sweetest things always feel so forbidden ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and thank you for leaving any comments or kudos ! Love you !


	32. Temulentia 32.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my fucking god, I am so ashamed. If you are still here reading this shit, God Bless Your SOUL......... Thank you for sticking around and my deepest apologies for leaving you waiting in the void for another chapter. School has slaughtered me and left me for dead and honestly, still is leaving me for dead. But school is almost over and I will be finally starting CIVOL WER in this chapter after a million years of not seeing The One AND ONLY beautiful James Bucky Barnes. We will see how long hiatus stays away from me. I love you all so much ! Also, thank you for like 4000 reads and 155 Kudos ! AHH !
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 32 ! 
> 
> You are welcome to destroy me in the comments. Thanks !

Slowly, James erased every trace of himself in the room he rented. Truthfully, it was not at all difficult to hide everything as the place was so beat up, random stains and a strange odor lying stiff in the air drove anything but rats away. It was cheap, out of the way from prying eyes. It was a small motel room in the middle of Oradea, Romania, on the way to Bucharest, a part of a quieter neighborhood. He knew how to get around, warily throwing discreet glances over his shoulder, tugging his faded cap lower over his eyes, so he didn't have to see all the fearful people watching him walk down the street. When he was sure he left no scraps, no clue he even breathed in this room, he sighed and shifted instinctually towards the door. Pulling his cap lower, the dusky sun flickering in his eye through the partially drawn curtains, he turned and locked the door behind him. The color of the sky outside seeped in through the crack. The last thing he retrieved was the journal, just in case he forgot how far he had come from Hydra. How far away he was from them. How much closer he still had to go to get to her. 

 

\- 

The past couple of days had been relatively calm. Steve, as usual, was a doting friend, checking up here, helping with that, settling qualms between arguing friends. And to be truthful, everyone had a soft spot for the candy-smelling girl with a sugar-coated voice to match, not just the super soldier. In the days leading up to now, though, Steve's affections seemed to be plummeting into something a little more close and touchy than friendship. It started with the dancing. 

As the two ‘frozen dinner’ residents of the compound, they came from a time where music, dancing, and the club scene varied in taste, dress, and mood. While dancing with a person had become much more provocative, sultry, and tainted with the poignant burn of sex, their dancing was lively and the slow dancing a time to focus on the presence of your dance partner. It was cute, with the 40’s and 50’s music rhythmically dishing out a tango, a mambo, and an east coast swing, giggling and laughing as the big band music moved them about. The slow dancing was what made people try and connect the dots. They would sway together and whisper sweet nothings, very quietly, jazzy love songs playing on the sound system. Natasha thought that maybe they were interested in each other but just wouldn't show it. This idea was rejected by the fact that __ held no secret from the ears of the woman. __ did not seem to keep anything and there were no signs she was lying, no odd behavior when Nat would mention Steve and nothing leading her to believe they were having a secret affair. At times this became suspicious but after a few days, Nat gave up on the concept. Of course, Steve forgot and ___ forgot and everything returned to normal, and nothing… changed. They were as close, maybe even closer and there was no rift. No separation. She hoped stirring things up would unsettle them, realize something and trigger a reaction. A relationship or an announcement that they had been together the entire time and that they were surprised that nobody had noticed anything odd. But this never happened.

-

“Brock Rumlow.” A stack of files landed heavily on her desk, nearly escaping the neat clip they were all bound together by. ___ looked up at Maria who only stared back. She quirked a brow and picked the papers up. 

“Who ?” she opened the manila folder, greeted by printed sheets of reports and photos of the man she was talking about in a strange suit of armor. "And why didn't you just forward this to me ?"

“Former strike team leader and double agent for Hydra and SHIELD. He's been off our radar since Triskellion, but we've finally got a lead. He’s been spotted meeting with some other degenerates and the team stationed in the area reported a few suspicious things from him. Initially, we thought he was dead, but apparently not. Also, I know how much your eyes hurt when you stare at the screens for too long.” Maria sighed and put a hand on her hip. “I wish we could just be done with scumbags like him. "__ flipped the pages and pointed out a follow-up paragraph about a suspect weapon in the area.

“What is this ?” Maria came closer and pointed at it as well. 

“That,” she flipped the page to reveal a small yellow bottle containing a red liquid, “is a biological weapon, could kill thousands, even millions.” __ nodded and it was obvious this team was trying to get this in their hands and use it to their advantage. The fact that this was being stored in such a public and populated area was a shock. Something like this should never have been so close to this many people. But for what purpose. It was heavily guarded and probably was not known about by many, so it might not even be the main target. ___ looked up at Maria and followed her gaze to a steaming cup of coffee. 

“What’s this ?” ___ smiled, transitioning out of her serious disposition. 

“From Steve. He said he knows how sleepy you get around this time and sent this up after his training session with Sam. I think it’s cute.” Maria teased. “Nobody ever sends me coffee.” She falsely complained, rolling her eyes sarcastically. ___ knew Maria was a very independent woman brushed off admirers like bugs. 

“Well, last week, he told me he was in the mood for pasta and I made him some and he said he owed me so… This wasn't for free !” she blushed as Maria literally judged her with her eyes. 

“Still cute. Anyway, look into it and Sam wants an update on Caps frozen bff.” She waved over her shoulder, __ watching her walk down the hallway through the very private glass walls. She sighed and rested her head on the table, glancing at the coffee and sighing again. Before she had never felt pressured about her relationship with Steve, but now it seemed like the whole team was shoving them into each other and telling them to kiss. They watched each interaction carefully and smirked. The hugs and things they did for each other didn't feel normal anymore, and ___ was starting to feel a little bit… weird about everything. Ever since Nat saw Steve leave her room, she had been extremely nosy, asking __ if anything ‘exciting’ happened at around ‘oh at about 3:00 am.’ Steve nearly choked on orange juice when she mentioned fondue for some reason as Pietro complained about the bright lights. Of course, __ wasn't listening and had missed something but when she looked back, Steve stared at her with an odd look in his eye. A knock on her open door startled her out of her reverie and Steve stood at the door. Speak of the devil…

“Not enough sugar ?” And he shall appear. She looked up and shook her head, leaning it against her palm. 

“Maria just gave this to me, haven't even tried it yet.” She yawned and took a sip, standing to walk with him out to the kitchen. “See, tired. And I gave that to her twenty minutes ago.” ___ giggled and moved to sip her drink before her files slipped from under her arm. Steve caught them just in time, pulling a stray photo out curiously. 

“Wait, I thought that we didn't have a lead on Rumlow?” He shuffled them until they were straight again before placing them back into her waiting hand. 

“Yeah, Maria gave them to me today.” She stared off into the distance, watching Steve gaze at her through the reflection in the glass they were passing by. Quickly, all of her senses returned to her and as she stepped into the elevator, she had just realized Steve was talking about something. 

“-then Sam was going on and on about how we didn’t save any pasta for him. And as soon as Pietro found out there was pasta and he didn’t get any, it was all over. They were talking in my ear for two hours. Two! And I- ___, are you listening ?” she hummed in agreement and when she looked back up he looked even more concerned than before. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just... thinking.” She dismissed, exiting the elevator alongside him. She approached the common area kitchenette, placing her mug in the sink and filling the mug with water, folder thrown across the counter. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. An expression of skepticism replaced that of concern and she sighed again, eyes fluttering closed in frustration. “I really am. I can’t stop thinking and I feel very-” 

Just as she was about to dive into a rant, she opened her eyes and he stood much closer than before, reaching around her to turn the water off from the sink. 

“Something's wrong, that I know. But you gotta tell me what if you want me to help.” She nodded helplessly, no other answer felt better. And after finding herself in the hole she dug herself she backed up entirely against the counter.

“Can we just talk about this somewhere a little more private ?” He furrowed his brows and seemed a lot more concerned than earlier, inviting her to his room. Closing the door behind himself, he invited her to sit across from him on the side of his bed. Almost on instinct, she gripped one of his pillows, not even aware of having done so. He was about to ask her again, but she promptly interrupted, leaving him speechless. 

“Why did you save me ? You didn’t even know who I was. Who I could be.” She stared directly into his eyes, searching for dishonesty. “So tell me why.” She saw him visibly gulp and avert his eyes. __ shook her head and physically brought his attention back to her. 

“You… told me to trust you. And if you were really in that much trouble, I had to.” he didn’t look ashamed. He had no reason to be ashamed of saving her from Hydra. She only wanted to know if he cared for her. Even if she stopped smelling like intoxicatingly beautiful perfume. If she had never had any effect on him, like the influence she held over her soldier. That seemed like years ago, but what he felt like was fresh in her mind. __ stared at him and nodded. 

“I’m not angry that you did it for yourself. I just wanted to know why you trusted me. I’ve done nothing to deserve your friendship. Your attentiveness. Your kindness. I’m afraid you only like me for my powers. The answer you gave me makes no sense.” She clutched the pillow tighter. “Mr.Fury was right not to trust me. But you did. Why did you trust me ?” He gave her a confused glance. Worry seeped into his features. 

“What do you mean, ‘He was right not to trust you’?” She rolled her eyes. 

“I could have killed you, Steve. I could’ve lead you into a trap. I’ve never… before. But I could ’ve! You didn’t know me then like you know me now.” 

“I don’t know why I saved you. I just know I did. I don’t regret it. I never will.” He stated and she watched his pupils become bigger, swallowing, absorbing the crystal clear blue around it. “I like you because you’re kind, honest, and selfless. You don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you think is right. Not because of your powers.” He smiled warmly in reassurance and she smiled back. She hoped that was the truth. 

 

-

When Wanda arrived with a solemn face and the rest of the team filed from the Quinjet with similar expressions, __ knew something had gone terribly wrong. The news report in the morning was not at all going to look agreeable. __ gave Wanda a hug as she passed by, whispering words of comfort as she shuffled towards her brother who herded her into the elevator, nodding at the team as the doors slid closed. 

“What happened ?” ___ asked and Steve led her to the hall, towards the elevator on the other end. “I’ll tell you on the way.” 

He explained that Rumlow had planned ahead in the event that he would be caught and had strapped himself with explosives strong enough to take down more than a few blocks. Just in time, Wanda had stepped in and attempted to contain the explosion but it was too strong and as she lost control, it crashed into a building full of civilians. Wanda had been mortified and was silent the whole ride back on the quinjet. __ nodded in understanding. She would have felt devastated too.

“And everyone is okay ?” she instinctively brought her fingers to her lips to chew on her nails and just as instinctually, he reached to bring them back down. 

“Minor injuries, but that's about it. Casualties haven't been confirmed yet. It wasn't her fault, Rumlow mentioned Bucky and I just froze. I should've seen the explosives, should have known he wouldn't have given up so fast. I was distracted and people died.” He looked away at his hands which were held in front of him, palm clasped over the other, gripped just a little, the leather of his gloves squeaking. As they exited the elevator, she grabbed his hand and neared him, warmth radiating from his furnace-like body heat. They stood in the hall in near silence until she began to talk. 

“That wasn't your fault, Steve. Just imagine what would have happened if he escaped with what he came there for. I’m not saying that those people who lost their lives deserved to or what happened to them was fair. But you have to remember what you do this for.” She simpered and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodnight, Steve.” 

-

__ patiently awaited the arrival of her friend Tony and when he arrived, she enveloped him in her arms. “How have you been Tony ?” she squeezed his shoulder and he offered a stressed smile. 

“Well enough, arc reactor is still beating, and that's about all I have to look forward to. And you ?” she only crossed her arms and sighed. 

“Well enough,” ___ echoed. She sighed once more. “I’ve missed you, Tony. All of us have.” She smiled and prepared a cup of water for him and gently placed it in his hands. He shot her a questioning look.“I recognize your headache squint, Tony. I’ll ask Vis to turn down the lights when he gets here.” 

“Missed you too, Tem. And by the way, please extend the warm welcome to Mr. Ross here, State Secretary.” He motioned to an older man, with graying hair, a mustache, and a suit with a red tie. 

“Pleased to meet you, Secretary. Ross.” She greeted and the man gripped her fingers like they were inanimate. She could only be glad he gave one shake before releasing. 

“To you too, Ms…?” She gave him her name and he nodded and smiled only a little before making his way to the conference room Tony had arranged before arriving. 

Everyone settled into chairs and Tony settled into the corner. She figured that whatever this man was going to propose, he had already agreed to. She sat next to Sam and Steve, who poured two glasses of water, pushing one to her. 

“Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing.” He mimed a golf swing and his face seemed to be in a permanent cringe. “Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass… I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives… but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some…” He paused and tossed a look around the room “who would prefer the word "vigilantes".” 

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Nat questioned, just a tinge of sass in her tone. 

“How about "dangerous"?” Wanda pulled her hand closer to herself. “What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?” Steve furrowed his brows and looked at the people gathered in the room. And so it began.

“New York.” The screen behind him projected a map of the world before zooming in on the city. A chitauri leviathan took up the screen and people screamed in horror, fleeing the destruction. The screams seemed so far away and so did the thrumming of a soldier on a machine gun. Suddenly, the Hulk burst from a building and jumped into another, a cloud of dust covering the lens of the camera. Rhodey watches and turns to look at Steve and Nat who continue to watch. 

“Washington D.C.” The camera focuses on the three helicarriers looming in the distance, firing at each other. A gargantuan plume of smoke wafts up from the burning and __ cannot bear to look. She remembered being so happy when she learned her friends were still okay but had never given a second thought to the others that died that day. Sam couldn't seem to watch either.

“Sokovia.” She remembers this day too. The sobbing, the dust lingering, and the smell of blood on her hands. When she looks up, the city is rising and a building falls over in a pile of rubble. 

“Lagos.” ___ cannot set her eyes on the screen and chooses to instead regard Wanda, her mouth still in a frown. Steve faces __ and follows her line of sight to a disturbed Wanda. 

“Okay, that's enough.” Secretary Ross seems satisfied with the reaction of her team members and turns to nod to an aide who shuts the screen down. ___ rolls her eyes. This was not at all necessary. 

“For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision.” Steve looks up at the last word. “That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” The same aide hands him a thick white book that Secretary Ross immediately slides to Wanda. She holds the book in her hands for a moment before sliding it to Rhodey. “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries… it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.” He circles around the table with authoritative steps. 

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that.” Steve says matter of factly and __ can tell just by his tone that Steve will never sign these Accords. 

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” Steve cranes his neck up to meet Secretary Ross’ stare. “If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes… you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.” Natasha sighs at the comparison. Ross talked about her friends like they were mindless, inanimate weapons like they weren't people that were doing their best to save the planet. 

“So, there are contingencies.” Rhodey confirms and the older man removes his phone from his pocket. 

“Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords.” Steve turns to Tony in the understanding that Tony has not said anything throughout the entirety of the meeting with the stern man. Tony looks down at his shoes.

“Talk it over.” Ross suggests, checking his phone again, probably to tend to another pressing matter. Just as he is about to walk out the door, Natasha speaks up. 

“And if we come to a decision you don't like?” 

“Then you retire.” A smile made its way to Natasha's face, but she quickly hid it under her professional facade. ___ watched the door close and sighed. She sipped her water, already sensing the upcoming headache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, criticism is welcome, show me some love or hate in the comments and Thank YOU for Reading !!


	33. Temulentia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Here is our next chapter, And I am so excited to finally say that Bucky is in this chapter !!! We finally receive some winter soldier kisses and a scene that will help define the relationship between the winter soldier and Tem specifically. Someone asked me if Tem is an original character or not and the answer is no, Tem is more like a weird superhero name, or code name. You are Tem in a way and the ___ is your name. The only thing you have from me that is original is the last name Barousse Vasnetsov. And some body things that are brought on by the serum. also, I don't mention Pietro and it's my fault because I totally forgot he's technically dead, but for now, you can assume he's helping rebuild Sokovia, cause I guess that's a key part about CW where they did a lot of damage there. Anyway, we'll talk... 
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 33 !

___ sighed, blowing steam from a hot cup of coffee. Her tepid cup of water sat abandoned in the kitchen, doing nothing for her focus and the emotional exhaustion about to come. Her friends were already starting to argue and their voices started to sound more and more like a jumble the longer they talked. Her eyes wandered to Steve, who had begun to read the Accords, at least giving them some thought before he rejected them. She knew he would, he believed in the Avengers too much to let them be put on reins for the government to control. ___, now being a part of the Avengers, had seen what they had done. Its benefits and what they caused. She figured that when she saved the world, that was the goal. She worked rescue in Sokovia and saw how many she helped and saved. ___ stood to pat Tony's shoulder, squeezing it before taking her seat on a nearby chair, cushiony and velvety with silver buttons quilted into it. Tony left his hand over his eyes, fingers splayed out over his face in annoyance, a grimace there from an aforementioned headache, which was made no better from Rhodey and Sam's arguing. 

“Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have.” Rhodey pointed his finger vaguely in Sam's direction and Sam crossed his arms over his chest defensively. 

“So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”

“117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, ‘No, that's cool. We got it.’”

“How long are you going to play both sides?” Sam demanded before Vision cut in. 

“I have an equation.” ___ looked up, as did Sam, Rhodey, and Steve. 

“Oh, this will clear it up.” Sam rolled his eyes, remarking sarcastically. Vision remained unaffected and continued. He only steepled his fingers and looked around the room.

“In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.” Immediately, Steve spoke up, for the first time after picking up the accords. 

“Are you saying it's our fault?”

“I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

“Boom.” Rhodey turned to Sam who merely shot him an annoyed look. When Nat said Tony's name in a rather motherly tone, he was still where __ had left him, lounging on the couch in pain. 

“Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.” His hand dropped from his face but his eyes remained closed until he lifted himself from the couch with a grunt. 

“It’s because he’s already made up his mind.” 

“Boy, you know me so well,” Tony muttered with no emotion in the strain of his words. “Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache.” Everyone watched as he walked to the kitchen and grabbed a mug to pour coffee into it. 

“That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?” His expression was hard and she could tell that it wasn't for the coffee grounds. He placed his phone in a basket of fruit and tapped at it, producing a hologram with a smiling, bright-looking boy, before turning away. When he turned back he acted as though it was not himself who had put it there. 

“Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall.” Tony prepared coffee for himself, seemingly unfocused but she could see the determination in his eyes.  
“But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia.”

Everyone's eyes turned down in guilt but ___ kept her sight on him. The guilt in the room invaded her and she could feel the stiffness in the room increase tenfold. They had all felt awful for the aftermath of these situations, but the dread and the burden was theirs to bear. No one else could carry it but them. 

“He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.” Even Sam could make no argument against Tony, the silence insistent after the darkness of what had happened in the events Ross had mentioned came to the forefront. 

“There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundaryless, we're no better than the bad guys.”

“Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up.” Steve countered. 

“Who said we're giving up?”

“We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions.” Steve faced Tony, staring up at him from his chair. “This document just shifts the blames.”

 

“I'm sorry. Steve. That - that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not Hydra.” Steve raised his brows and shook his head.

“I could see the reasoning on siding with the UN, but the UN is still made up of people. People that could have ulterior motives. They’ll decide when, who, or what we fight. That should be our choice, shouldn’t it ?” ___ pointed out and Steve nodded in agreement.

 

“Yes, it should be. Organizations are run by people with agendas, and agendas change.” 

“That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.” Tony walked up to the group, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

“Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go?” Tony only shifted away and ___ realized that Natasha, who was deep in thought, was the only one who had still seemed undecided. Vision would want to keep Wanda safe, so he’d most likely go with Tony to keep her from being on the wrong side of the law. Rhodey was more diplomatic and for a long time, worked closely with the government. He would take Tony's side, abiding by designated regulations. Sam believes in the Avengers as much as Steve does and believes that freedom is most important, so he would stand with Steve. Wanda did not like being controlled or being made felt like a tool so she wouldn't take Tony's side. But Nat she couldn't place. Her instincts told her that she would agree with her, but Nat was always full of surprises.  
“What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.” Steve turned up to Tony, who had listened but knew that the government wouldn’t. 

“If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty.” That was true. ___ could not even imagine. Her stomach dropped just thinking about all of her friends being apprehended and dragged away with cuffs on their wrists. 

“You're saying they'll come for me,” Wanda said, little hope to her voice. 

“We would protect you.” Vision stated. 

“Maybe Tony's right.” Tony quickly faced Nat with an unbelieving expression, curious as to why the stoic Black Widow would ever agree with him. She seemed like she already regretted even saying anything.

“If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off -”

“Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam leaned down, the same air of amazement that Tony wore on his face. And it was after Triskelion when Nat did not stick around to be accosted by the government for long.

“I'm just… I'm reading the terrain. We have made… some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.” 

“Focus up.” Tony leaned over the couch and waved a finger by his head. “I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?”

“Oh, I want to take it back now.” The regret in her face comical after agreeing with Tony. 

“No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed - I win.”

“I have to go.” Steve got up and threw the Accords on the coffee table, the chess pieces rattling with the subtle violence of the action. He walked quickly, off towards the stairwell and __ followed him with her eyes inquisitively. 

-

The group disbanded and __ stayed to clear some cups and things, placing the glasses into the dishwasher. Maybe Tony was right about their ragtag group of bikers. The door in the stairwell opened and ___ heard it quietly close before footsteps made their way towards the elevator down the hall. She washed her hands and returned to her room, paying it no mind. 

Her bath had left the bathroom steamy and ___ inhaled the scent of freshly cleaned cotton and lavender. She wiped her face on a towel before exiting her room and knocking on Steves door. She hadn't seen him since he left the lounge in a hurry. 

“Yeah ?” his voice was hoarse and ___ asked if she could enter. Her brows furrowed in worry at his red eyes and sniff, old yellowing photographs spread out on the sheets. 

“Steve, are you alright? I figured something was wrong when-” 

“It’s Peggy.” he sniffed and wrung his hands. “She’s gone.” She could see the tears welling up and the somber tone in his voice. She looked to the floor in reverence of the departed, making her way to where he sat. His head bowed and she let her hands fall to his shoulders. Her arms draped around him and he sobbed quietly into her shirt, his hands squeezing the fabric that crumpled under his grip. She let her fingers dance along his back, letting him release his pain. It was a while before the tears dried. 

\- 

Her black dress brushed the floor she walked on, taking her seat next to Sam. He nodded in greeting when she sat and she offered him a light smile. Her hands clutched the paper they had given at the entrance, a beautiful woman she knew to be Peggy smiling gracefully on the front. The visage of a brave and courageous woman, who stood tall and deserved to be commemorated. The choir sang as six pallbearers, one being a mourning Steve, carried the casket down the aisle, draped in a union jack and fragrant white lilies, and pretty roses to symbolize the innocence regained. Steve returned to his seat beside her and Sam, listening idly to the sermon the priest gave and a speech from Peggy's niece. As the sermon came to an end, funeral goers began to exit. Steve stayed behind and as the cathedral emptied, she tossed a nod at Nat who she recognized in the crowd. 

“So, thoughts on the accords ?” Nat asked and Sam looked at ___.

“I can’t say I want to be on the governments' leash, Nat. I'm not a dog to be brought when there are threats of robbers. All of us deserve more than that.” Sam nodded, 

“Nope, I already told Iron Asshole I ain’t signing. A situation like this, it’s too much to put under the government. Besides, if we don't sign it, we’ll retire, blah blah blah, the world needs saving and guess who they’re gonna call if it ain't a goddamn ghost ?” 

“They won't tolerate the Avengers working behind their backs. They won't let us stay together.” Nat warned. ___ loved her little family as much as Nat did, but she had to put it aside for the sake of the world on their shoulders. 

“Since when does the Black Widow care about what a silly old white man has to say ?” Nat smiled and gave __ a hug. 

“Did Wanda sign ?” ___ inquired and Nat shook her head.

“Still deciding. It's just me, Rhodey, Tony, and Vision. Steves in there ?” The two nodded and left Steve and Nat to their devices. 

“What they got to eat out here that's edible ?” 

“Sam, we just ate.” ___ rolled her eyes but walked back to the nearby hotel anyway, Sam at her side.  
After breakfast at the hotel, Sam and ___ went to find Steve. He had wanted to talk to someone, she couldn't remember who, and as they passed a crosswalk, ___’s phone lit up with alerts. As she read them, she dragged Sam back. 

“We have to find Steve.” 

-

“A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakandan King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations.” ___ numbly stood to stare at the TV in the hotel room. Her soldier did not do this. He could not. He was free from Hydra. She made sure. She made sure of it so this would not happen. She slowly sank onto the couch. Steves jaw flexed and set at the mention of James and his eye's lit orange with fire on the screen. 

-

They had only been in Vienna for two hours and Steve had already told her to get all the intel she could on James' location. ___ ordered two coffees and brought one to Sam, who sat alert at the counter in the bustling cafe. She pulled her phone from her pocket and discreetly tapped for a small menu to appear, infiltrating the information collected from the hotline relating to James and his location. She scrolled through the useless reports as Steve sat next to Sam, having returned from calling Nat.

“She tell you to stay out of it?” Sam sipped at his hot coffee. “Might have a point.” 

“He'd do it for me.” he placed his hand on the counter and surveyed the cafe for anything out of the ordinary. 

“1945, maybe. I just want to make sure we considered all our options. The people that shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me.”

“I think I have what we’re looking for.” Both men turned to see what she wanted to show them. “A sighting on the street in Bucharest, Romania. The description the man gave is spot on. And he even said the man was wearing gloves. It has to be him.” They nodded and all three headed for the door. 

-

After landing in Bucharest, she suspected that they would find him, but be captured at the same time was not on the agenda. ___ sighed as she entered the office where Tony and Nat were talking. 

“You know, Nat, I wonder how they found out where Barnes was,” he asked rhetorically and the redhead spun to face ___. 

“I don't know what you’re talking about.” She yawned and sat in one of the spinning chairs. 

“C’mon, Tem, you're on the wrong side. Of everything, right now.” 

“Tony, I can’t sign those accords. I want us to stay together. I do. But not under those terms. What we did had to be done. And yes, you, Bruce, and I made a mistake. We also did what we had to do to fix it. Imagine if we weren't there to fix it.”

“If we weren't there, Sokovia would never have happened. There's a truth to this. We need these accords.” Tony shook his head. 

“I’d love peace right now, but I just know these Accords, We’ll regret them in the future. I told you to believe in yourself, Tony.” An agent came to announce Steve, Sam, and Bucky arriving, Tony's face losing rigidity. Nat joined her as she walked out the glass door.

“___, I know you don't want to sign them.” she stayed silent as Nat did not even glimpse at her but kept her gaze forward. “But I can’t lose you. Any of you. And I won't see you in jail, Tem.”

“I know. But I can't give up on us either. Tony was right when he said there will be something bigger than Loki. We have to stay strong, not stand down. If whatever comes to ‘challenge our strength’ intimidates the government to stand down, we’ll have to follow. We can't let that happen.”

Steve approached down the hall accompanied by Sam, breaking their conversation.

“For the record, this is what making things worse looks like.”

“He's alive.” __ supposed he was right though. They had stopped the task force from killing Bucky, but her soldier wouldn't let a bullet fly through his heart so easily. 

“Sam, you weren't supposed to get captured."

“Yeah, but these German guys work fast.” 

Tony spoke to Secretary Ross, his pinched voice coming through the phone. “No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. And, Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup.”

“Try not to break anything while we fix this.” Nat scolded.

“Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. Obviously, you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.” Tony looked straight at Steve and Sam. 

“Consequences ?” Steve questioned and Tony pointed his phone at them both. 

“Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. Had to give him something.”

“I'm not getting that shield back, am I?” Their voices fade into the background when a TV screen lights up with color. Her soldier sits in a pod made of what is most likely bulletproof glass. Nothing about him screams danger to her, but the chill in his eyes seems to shake the guards working in the room. Her eyes tracked Bucky's expressions on the screen and when he faced the camera, her face softened. His emotions conveyed nothing pertaining to fear, but she knew that small spaces reminded of the cryo chamber. She wished he had been able to get away. She preferred when he had a choice. ___ wished he could be free like he let her be free when she needed it. 

This past week, all her friends seemed to be able to do was argue, and even now, Steve and Tony were arguing in the glass office in the center of the control room. Steve exited and Tony shook his head and massaged his fingers into his temples when he left, pulling his sunglasses by the leg over his eyes. She sighed. Tony knew that Steve wouldn't sign, but at least he tried. Slowly, she stepped into the glass office where Sam sat and Steve stood, watching the evaluation take place. An agent came to deliver the receipt and Sam furrowed his brows in anger. 

“Bird Costume? Come on.” The agent only shrugged and said he didn't write it before leaving the office. ___ giggled before Sam nodded his head. 

“Yeah, laugh it up Bubble Gum girl, you're next.” She laughed before taking a seat. Steve stood watching the silent TV screen inside the office but ___ spotted a button on the table, a red box above spelling 'restricted'. She looked around for any prying eyes and pressed it, the sound from the TV flowing out. Steve whipped around but smiled when he saw her finger over her lips. The voice of the evaluator was slightly accented with what she thought was a strange mix of Slavic and French accents. 

“I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky.”

Steve regarded the blurry black and white photos and Bucky, who instinctively kept his face from the cameras for too long. No way, his friend wouldn't have looked at the camera. The Winter Soldier was a ghost, he would never risk being sighted like this. This was on purpose. 

“Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?” Both Sam and ___ turned to look up at Steve curiously.

“Releasing information, involve as many searching eyes as they could?” Sam offered and ___ nodded in reasoning. The strongest person she knew, Steve, couldn't even get the Winter Soldier. And the smartest she knew couldn't find him anywhere. It would take more than just a small research team to find him somewhere, especially in Europe, a bustle of people, languages, and tourist locations, easy to move in and around borders. 

“Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.” Flushing him would be easy if you pinned the right murder on him. The king of Wakanda is pretty high up there. 

“The whole world is looking for him for you, and because he ‘bombed’ the UN, there's someone waiting to capture him for you too. People with a lot of resources.” 

“So, You guys think somebody framed ‘em,” Sam confirmed and ___ nodded. 

“It makes sense. If I wasn't strong enough to catch the Winter Soldier which, I suppose, I'm not; I wouldn't go out and do it myself. I’d make someone else do it. Someone with a lot of guns and armored vehicles and a convenient little pod to put him in when they’re finished.”

“We looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.” 

“We didn't bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads.”

“Yeah, but that don’t mean that whoever framed him would get ‘em. The task force would get him first.” Steve hummed in agreement. The voice of the evaluator broke her concentration and ____ knew that she had never seen a picture of what he was supposed to look like before they had started the psych eval. Suddenly, the room went dark and emergency lights glowing red came on, the power was out in the whole facility. Her brows furrowed and she opened the door to talk to a passing agent. She smiled and relaxed to let her powers seep into his mind.

“Hi, can you tell me where they’re holding Barnes, I wanna tell him something really important.” Her scent waved out and she observed the way his pupils dilated. He shuffled, relaxing a little and smiled back.

“Ummm, sub- sub-level five, east wing, I think.” She nodded to the two standing behind her and they rushed past the agent. Steve turned mid-sprint and shouted at her. 

“Stay there, Tem!” And kept running. She sighed. Of course. Tony rushed by and saw her leaving the office.

“Tem, you might not want to do this, but-”

“Can you subdue him ?” Nat asked gravely and ___ swallowed. 

“Yes. Yes, I can try.” They both nodded and an agent accompanying them asked all of them to follow. The agent and Natasha placed themselves in position in a cafeteria full of chairs. 

“You're the last resort, and I won't let him kill you, okay? Just calm him down enough for either Tony or me to recover and get the situation under control.”___ nodded. It had been a long time since she had helped him out of a state like this but she would have to try. She had spent that time worrying about him, looking for him, wishing he was there with her. And now he was, just not in the way she wanted him to be. She wouldn't let any more people die or get hurt. She shakily let a breath slip and kept her scent from filling the room. She relaxed so her scent didn't convey worry or distress. She remembered what that could do to him. A gunshot went off but she dared not look until the Soldier managed to nearly kill Nat. 

“солдат, пожалуйста. отпусти ее. (soldat, pozhaluysta. otpusti yeye.)” He went stiff, not a movement from him. His cybernetic hand slowly eased from around Nat's throat and she gasped and coughed before slipping from the table. She whispered to her to find Steve. He wore a deep red shirt with small buttons, jeans, and scuffed boots. He seemed so tall and broad compared to her, shadowing the sunlight that crashed through the window overhead. His storming blue eyes watched her like a hawk from under a curtain of dark hair, observant and only slightly alive. He seemed different in a way, his hair was washed now and trimmed, but she could tell sleep had been evading him. A grin spread across his face, seeming out of place from the emotionless blank stare he usually had when he fell into this state. 

“Она здесь. Стеклянная девушка.(Ona zdes'. Steklyannaya devushka.)” He came closer to her, brushing metal fingers down her cheek, his other arm feeling warm around her hip. The fear settled deep into herself, disappearing from her mannerisms, shaking and heavy breathing coming to a stop. “ты меня оставил(ty menya ostavil)” She nodded but laid a gentle kiss on his cheek, his stubble poking the soft skin of her lips. A kiss she hoped would remind him of the day she left. To remind him he let that happen. He didn't have to but she was glad he did. Now she had the opportunity to free him. 

“я знаю. Мне нужно, чтобы ты вернулся.(ya znayu. Mne nuzhno, chtoby ty vernulsya.)”He merely shook his head. He smirked and gave her a kiss on her lips. 

“Слишком слабый. Я вернусь за тобой, маленькая девочка(Slishkom slabyy. YA vernus' za toboy, malen'kaya devochka)” He pushed her from him as gently as he could, a man in a black shirt she saw come in with Steve running up and kicking him in the chest. He was incredibly fast, but she knew that her soldier could seem no longer human when he was activated. Even though the man landed more than a few hits, the Soldier countered with a punch to the man's face with his vibranium arm, stunning him so he could make his way up the staircase. She watched, standing still for a while; frozen, a million thoughts running through her mind. That was until Sam came up behind her.

“C’mon Tem, we gotta get outta here ! Steve's got Barnes.” They both jogged outside and the body of water was unstill, the smell of smoke lingering in the air. She helped Steve bring James out of the water, the both of them soaking wet. 

“___, find somewhere remote so we can keep the police off our trail, they’ll be looking for us.” She nodded and made her way to a car on the street, jamming an emergency device into the keyhole, and then into the ignition. She sighed. She needed more coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations  
> -олдат, пожалуйста. отпусти ее. (soldat, pozhaluysta. otpusti yeye.)- soldier, please. let her go.
> 
> -Она здесь. Стеклянная девушка.(Ona zdes'. Steklyannaya devushka.)-Shes here, the glass girl. 
> 
> -ты меня оставил(ty menya ostavil)-You left me.
> 
> -я знаю. Мне нужно, чтобы ты вернулся.(ya znayu. Mne nuzhno, chtoby ty vernulsya.)-I know. I need you to come back.
> 
> -Слишком слабый. Я вернусь за тобой, маленькая девочка(Slishkom slabyy. YA vernus' za toboy, malen'kaya devochka) too weak. I'll come back for you, little girl. 
> 
> courtesy to google translate, ya'll know the drill. 
> 
> Alright Alright Alright. So, some things. I know there have been many moments in this movie where Sharon is helping and I'm dodging Sharon Carter as a character and if you don't like that, fine. Its not that I dislike her character or the actress. I hated her shitty relationship with Steve that was super undeveloped and hate me for it if you want but god, she was so BLAND, fuckin mayo lookin ass, no fuckin humor deadass, ughhhhhhh. She had so much potential to be funny and cool, or latina. Sorry. anyway, ummm this story has fallen off the cannon train at this point, but it's a fanfiction so I'm allowed to keep alive whoever I want, Fuck Infinity War. Russos can kiss my Bucky loving ass. Thanks for reading my rant if you've gotten this far. I love you all so much. Thank You for Reading and leave all your hugs, kisses, critiques, and hate in the comments to rummage through later. Hmu in the comments if you wanna talk.
> 
> Love, Rosie..


	34. Temulentia 34.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, im sorry i suck thanks for even clicking 
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 34 !

Being in public brought sweat to his palm and the back of his neck. At any moment, he thought to himself, someone would see just the right angle of his profile, his jaw, his brow. And they’d know who exactly walked the street beside them. Only a few times had he seen a glimmer of recognition in someone's eye. But he had been lucky enough to slide into an alley, scrape through the cracks and escape. Into his safe haven. Which still wasn't safe enough. 

Since he had left his last room in that dirt cheap motel, he had found a just as cheap apartment in Bucharest. The capital of Romania meant lots of eyes roaming the streets, but those eyes were people he could get lost in. Slip into the crowd unnoticed by the police or the authorities. The shitty apartment building he called a temporary home meant that everyone here minded their business and no neighbors saw the need to come and say anything to him and endanger him or themselves. They didn't say anything when they passed by the large and intimidating man who always seemed to cover his eyes with dark brunette hair and the black cap he seemed to wear every day. 

Inside of the little room was a two-seater couch, which didn't matter, cause he wouldn't be having guests over any time soon, a mattress with one kind of itchy blanket and a flat pillow, a smaller than tiny kitchen with cracked tiles that he seemed to make smaller just by standing in it and a cramped bathroom with a shower stall an inch bigger than his shoulders. The wall to the right was a strange shade of green he didn't much like and the kitchen wall had peeling; patchy wallpaper and white tiles, not at all matching with anything in the apartment. Sunlight had been meticulously blocked out by newspapers, keeping anyone who trailed after him from looking inside. Instead, a long fluorescent light stick hung over the kitchen, and Bucky liked to turn it off so it wouldn't give him a headache; the lamp by his bedside suited him better. It was better for him to write late into the night in the journal he bought, nights when sleep remained unattainable and out of reach. Nonperishable food items and their wrappers littered his countertop, but today, his taste for fresh food got the better of him, a local farmers market he passed a few times popping in his head. 

As quietly as possible, the door squeaked open just a little and almost silently he made his way out, locking the door behind him. He checked that he wore both his gloves and his cap, mentally checking for the weapons hidden in his clothes and boot. The flight of stairs, he descended quickly and the sounds of the blaring street greeted him. The smell of exhaust, street food, and refuse desensitized and he walked on his way to the market. Uncomfortable as he might be, his body language and gait betrayed no such stiffness. The only sign he gave was the constant swiveling of his head, looking over his shoulder came naturally to him, watching for watching eyes. He started to slip into that domestic comfortability but he had to remind himself that he could not afford to do so. He could only hope one day that he’d find himself sleeping in the arms of the girl, quite literally, of his dreams. A moment purely devoted to quiet peace. Every memory she was in was full of comfort, warmth, familiarity, and a sense of togetherness. It was cold in his dreams but when she was there, everything was drowned out by her mere presence. He almost felt embarrassed about all the pictures and articles he had collected and stuffed into his journal of her and the blond man, Steve; but they wouldn't have to know. Her name, he had learned was ___. The words in the article were black and white but the color in her voice he could imagine would be so vibrant. But he held onto reality. He was a killer. A beast. He’d be a danger to her, she wouldn't be safe around him. No one was. His mind was mysterious and it was his own. He didn't trust himself and he questioned if he ever would. 

The walk brought him to his destination. He slowed his pace and up until now, he hadn't realized it was cloudy today. He aimlessly drifted from one stall to the next, examining things he might like or picking things up that piqued his interest. He found himself staring at some fresh plums and his metal hand, covered in leather tightened around it, the fruit feeling ripe in his hand. He asks the vendor if they are good and asks for six before thanking the man, smiling only slightly. He looks around but sees no one and can hear nothing but passing cars and the woman beside him standing with her child. On the street side, he stops for a while and as an ambulance passes by, his stomach drops. When it passes by he realizes the sirens aren't for him, relaxing but just a little bit. From across the street, something else grabs his attention. A man in a peaky cap with a half-finished lollipop in his mouth reading the newspaper is staring at him. Not at someone next to him and he can tell because when he glances away and looks back, the same man's gaze has not moved. The man's eyes widen with the realization Bucky feared, fingers losing grip on the newspaper he was reading. His stomach was uneasy. The mans face filled with panic as he stumbled back before running away entirely. Bucky's brows furrowed and he neared the newspaper stand in long strides. following the man with his eyes. He slid the newspaper off the surface it sat on and lifted it to read “Winter Soldier cautat pentru Bombardmentul din Viena”. He was being framed. He had not been in Austria for months and now they were looking for him for something he didn't even do. The muscles in his jaw set and he clenched his fist, the invisible sensation of a thousand eyes watching his every move. He had to get out of here and right now. 

Pulling his cap lower, he quickly sped walked back to the dingy apartment that seemed like the safest place on the earth to him right about now. He dodged in and out of alleys and backstreets, just to get back to the tiny space with the gross crumbling green wall and missing tiles over the kitchen sink. The door to the stairwell shut behind him and he breathed an overdue sigh of relief. His senses came back to him all at once and he mounted the stairs in an effort to sit on the couch, close his eyes and take a deep breath. 

Something's wrong. He felt it walking up the stairs. Someone was here. His door appeared to be untouched and it was quiet, like usual but... he's never wrong about these types of things. Just to be sure, he opened the door silently, lifting the pressure from the hinges so it wouldn't make so much noise. He entered and there in his living room was the blond man who called him Bucky, the one from the museum; Captain America. He had that metal shield thing on his arm and the dark blue armor on with the helmet. He stood leafing through pages in his journal. 

“Understood.” the man murmured and Bucky supposed there was probably a comms device in his ear. More than one person. Maybe a group. He stood stock still but he wasn't able to deceive the man into thinking he wasn't there. Steve looked over his shoulder and turned completely when he saw Bucky standing there. He was cautious in his movements and kept them steady. 

 

“Do you know me?” He asked and Bucky's mind brought him to a different time. But he didn't say as much. He locked eyes with the man.

“You're Steve. I read about you in a museum.” His eyes looked to his journal, now sitting on the kitchen counter when Steve noticed he had still been holding it.

“I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying.”

“I wasn't in Vienna.” He shook his head. “I don't do that anymore.” He detected when Steve turned to look out the window, perhaps looking for the person who was speaking into his ear. He was right when he heard Steve speak again. 

“Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive.” Steve urged, moving closer. On base instinct, he moved back towards his bed. How was he supposed to know he wasn't one of them?

“That's smart. Good strategy.” He said and pursed his lips. He shifted nervously again at the sound of heavy boots above him, at least eight most likely more, guns, tactical armor, a raid unit. A part of him was already tired but his survival instinct pushed him on. 

“This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck.” He released a breath and set the bag of plums on the shelf against the wall. 

“It always ends in a fight.” The booted footsteps were getting louder and closer. Internally, he prepared for the violence to ensue. 

“You pulled me from the river. Why?” Bucky pulled the glove from his metal hand and scrutinized the metallic hand staring back at him. He pursed his lips and swallowed.

“I don't know.”

“Yes, you do !” Steve exclaimed, holding his friends stare, right before Sam shouted ‘breach’ into his ear. Two flash grenades meant for distraction burst through both the windows on Bucky's left, ripping through glass and newspaper alike. Steve deflected the first with his shield and Bucky kicked the second at Steve hoping his shield would help him with it. Unfortunately, a third was thrown into the small space but he was quick enough to grab his bed, hold it against the explosion and push it over into the wall. He heard pounding on the door and he knew they had brought a battering ram. He grabbed the edge of the metal table and threw it towards the door, holding it closed for at least a few more moments, papers and objects flying off. Special forces crashed through the remaining glass on the already broken windows, landing from their cables, guns in hand. Immediately, Bucky threw a hard left hook at the one closest to himself and Steve swiped the mat under the other one's feet, making him lose balance. Stray bullets lined themselves in the ceiling and as soon as Bucky realized none of them hit him, he had already grabbed his target and threw him against the wall like a bouncy ball, dragged against the floor by the cable still attached. Another entered through the balcony door and Steve lifted the assault rifle in their hand so Bucky could aim a solid kick at their chest. 

“Buck, stop! You're gonna kill someone.” The hand on his shoulder felt too close and he grabbed it to twist against the man behind him. He shoved him to the ground and punched a hole into the floor, searching for the prepared backpack from the splintered floorboards. 

“I’m not gonna kill anyone.” he wrenched it out and was thankful he used his metal hand. He threw the rucksack out onto the rooftop across from his window. One he had seen when he studied possible exits. 

More armored men came from the windows and the door, combat shotguns and semi-automatic rifles at the ready. He blocked the faster bullets with his metal arm, Steves shield lowering in front of them both. He threw Steve at the man on the balcony, blocking the incoming barrage from the operative in front of him. Just as he came into arms reach, his metal arm shot out and grabbed him, shoving him into the shelf and down onto the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, a black shape rose up and without even thinking he picked up a cinder block, lancing it at them, the man stumbling back into the small bathroom behind him. Loud shotgun rounds fired into the door hinges and he knew more of them waited outside. He threw the table behind him and listened. The man with the shotgun moved behind the wall and his cybernetic fist blew through the plaster. Tackling the door took the two agents down, kicking more of them down the stairs. 

From there, things went into a downward spiral, men in tactical gear being throttled all the way down the stairs in the building. The closest exit was marked with a sign and he kicked the door down. The floor he was on was still pretty high from where he threw his bag, but at this point, he had no other choice. He prepped for the jump, picking up speed before making it, jumping clear over the railing on the balcony. He rolled to soften his landing and that did what it could for the roughness of it. He swiped up his backpack, making his way off of the rooftop. A shadow behind him made him put his arm over his head, just as a man covered in a strange black suit with pointy ears and claws knocked him over. He recovered and they threw kicks and punches. His opponent was strong and fast, dodging his blows and ducking under his metal arm. A rusted metal pipe lay beside him and he was thankful for it but not for long. Was this cat man part of the German special forces? It was a little odd even in the modern age. He held the man's claws only inches from his face until bullets from an approaching helicopter started to bounce off of him. A man with wings who he vaguely recognized kicked the helicopter and while the cat man was distracted, he managed to shove his hands away and kick him off, running to the other side of the rooftop. 

Bucky jumped the ledge and landed on the next one. Metal scraping brought his attention to the man with the odd suit and Bucky jumped onto the ground before he could catch up. He ran as fast as he could and the freeway underpass seemed like a good place to lose the helicopter. 

Narrowly dodging a white van, he ran forward along with traffic, over his shoulder were the cat man and the captain and at that, he ran a little faster. He ran over a car and then barely missed being run over by black SUVs screaming government property with blue sirens blaring over the honking. This time, he knew the sirens were for him. He ran into oncoming traffic, better than being detained. A man on a motorcycle approached and he reached his metal arm out before catching the handle of it, tossing the cyclist off and using his body weight to turn it around and the momentum to sling his leg over the top. In the next few seconds, he was riding the bike into traffic, weaving around the slower cars. He drifted into the opposite lane so he could go faster instead of going against the flow of the cars. The bike rumbled beneath him and he was glad to be off his feet, his stamina and endurance were high but not fast enough for his liking. The man in the catsuit flung himself at him and he caught him by the throat, trying to throw him into the wall of the tunnel. The grinding scrape of the asphalt traveled up his arm and he grunted but continued on with throwing the man off of him.  
The explosive in his fist was aimed at the end of the tunnel, made to keep the captain, the birdman, and the cat man at bay, but the cat man flew forward at just the right time to slash his tires, tumbling from the bike and leaving him disoriented on the ground. He really was beginning to hate this day. Steve drifted the vehicle to slant itself before kicking the door open and sprinting towards the two figures in the ground. 

The cat man stood above him as he lay still, ready to roll out of the way but Steve tackled him, pulling him down with his own body. All three men stood and Bucky locked eyes with the man who has been attempting to kill him for half an hour now. The suit he had on barely had a scratch and his own indestructible arm hadn't been able to do anything too bad, so they were probably alike in that way. The sound of the sirens closed in and the blades of a helicopter thrummed over them, several sleek black cars skidding to a stop behind the masked man. Another masked man clunked to the ground, also covered in metal, lights glowing in his hands. More weapons that he couldn't understand but he knew to be lethal. 

“Stand down.” A stern voice demanded and Steve's hand went unnoticed by him as he looked on towards the two metal men, hands limp at his sides at last since the past hour. He was outgunned and outmanned, no other choice but to abide by their laws. Steve put his shield on his back so he could put his hands up. 

“Congratulations, Cap. You're a criminal.” He grunted while they forced him to kneel, then to lie face down, magnetic manacles placed over his wrists. He emptied the feeling in the back of his mind, expression showing nothing. He had failed to stay free. 

-

In this glass pod, he had mostly stayed awake, used to the permanent exhaustion setting into his bones. He couldn't trust a single guard in here. The space of the pod made him feel like a sardine in a can and the men clustered in the armored truck only lent to the feeling. They started silently ahead, and he tilted his head back. He dwelled on the things he should've done differently. Maybe if he had never gone back to that horrid shit-hole apartment, this would have never happened. If he hadn't bought plums yesterday, maybe Steve wouldn't have found him. Inside the cement facility, they were to move him about with a forklift, but he had already lost focus, staring off. He had failed his only goal, of laying low and avoiding detection. Now that he had been captured, he could only hope they would spare him from containment after years of hydras own cruel form of mental and physical containment. 

A meek-looking man with an accent sat at the desk across from the pod he was sat in, arms and legs strapped to the steel inside. 

“Hello, Mr. Barnes. I've been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit? Your first name is James?” he asked as if he had a choice in what someone who wasn't restrained could do. He kept his cold front and stared back. 

“I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky” He locked eyes with the man and pursed his lips, sensing something odd from the man. He looked pathetic but looks could be deceiving. 

“Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?” the question was redundant and the answer obvious, but he still felt the need to give a mocking answer. 

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“You fear that… if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry.” he glanced at something in his hands before facing him once again. “We only have to talk about one.” 

The lights in the room suddenly went dark and backup generator lights glowing red flashed around the room. He glanced around in confusion and wrinkled his brow.

“What the hell is this ?” 

“Why don't we discuss your home? Not Romania. Certainly not Brooklyn, no. I mean, your real home.” the man's tone turned sinister, removing his glasses which he realized now were a farce. The man stands, approaching with calm steps, which was unusual in itself. The book in his hand and the flashlight a slow and dreadful omen. Then he utters a word he hoped he would hear again. 

“Желание.”

“No” His eyelids seem to glue shut and in the rising anxiety, his brows furrow even further. His head throws back and hits the headrest but he can't even feel it. 

“Ржавый.”

He grinds out a weak “Stop” that does nothing to end the strain of locking away the darkest part of himself. His jaw trembles and his eyes close in pain. 

 

“Семнадцать.” 

Bucky can feel the shake in his vibranium arm, testing the strength of his bindings and the precaution they had taken to keep him here. He bares his teeth and hisses another protest but it falls on deaf ears. 

“Рассвет.” He slips a little and screams to release but nothing is helping. Holding himself back is even more difficult with the red tide drawing in, creeping up over him. The metal binding around his left arm is no match for the mechanics and it gives way and the one on his flash wrist follows suit. And suddenly the tide turns black and he sinks into the sea, it soaks him to the core and he cannot move anything except his eyes that stay open, even if he desperately begs for sleep. 

He gives the man the mission report he asks for and watches himself hurt people against his will again. His best friend and the man from his last Hydra stint try to face him again. Some low-level security personnel fall at his feet and briefly, he fights a man with only a metal hand and the redheaded woman but something breaks the concentration in the soldiers face. A familiar voice. The soldier remembers her even though he never knew her, not like James did. He watches as the soldier does what he had spent months in hiding to prevent. He had broken his promise that he would find her to protect her from this very situation, nothing he could do seemed good enough, fate defeating his efforts. 

They exchanged words and ___ was very calm around him, not a shred of wariness in her expression. She gave him a kiss and the soldier bristled at the contact when he fought to gain control. But he forced him further and kissed her fully, the warmth coming into his bones again. They parted too soon and the next few moments seemed too fast. 

-

When he woke, he was glad to know that the soldier had lost his bearings, becoming dormant once again. His vision was blurry and his body felt slightly fatigued but he could control his eyes now. They opened and closed on his own command. A quiet chattering was somewhere around him. He felt a pain in his head and a pressure on his metal arm. It seems that whoever got him out of his state was smarter than he thought. A smell wafted over from the far corner and he immediately perked up at it, a calming wave sweeping over him. Then a spike of distress making him rise from his slumping position. It was her, she stood in this very room. He had waited so long and finally, she was within his grasp, so close. And when he caught her eyes, he felt that warmth. He felt so much closer to being okay, even if everything wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for any kudos , comments and reading !


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